Getting your head out
The dog was barking. Again.
Generally, it knows how to behave itself. However, lately it's been barking incessantly at other dogs on the street from the window. When I try to go about my business, the whole situation is hard to ignore. The unpleasant feeling I get is one that combines the frustration of not knowing what to do or what is wrong, the fact that I can sense its desperation for something, and the nuisance the distraction presents to me.
One day, I caught myself absorbed in it, thinking about solutions, and how annoying the situation felt. After a while, I noticed something that troubled me: the dog had not barked. For at least 4 hours, everything was relatively silent, but there I was.
I worry that we may be consumed, trapped in our minds, by things that happened to us, others that may happen in the future, or even events that take place right now. I'm referring to the kind of thoughts that are endless and absurd, even though we mistake them for the ones we use for finding practical solutions.
The situation with the dog is a great example of an ongoing situation. I ease its angst, read about what could be wrong, or consult other people. However, there are long periods of time where I can just wait, and my own irritation is an inconvenience that achieves nothing. I know it may sound simplistic to you, because to me it does, but it is not necessary to bother oneself. I would go as far as saying that such a noisy state sabotages what we could do.
I wonder how much time we are trapped not only in what is happening, but also in those events away from now. The things in the future feel like they are getting close, day by day, and that may not be exactly exciting. There may be in the past things we prefer not to look at, but still they may pop up. Falling prey to the uncertainty of tomorrow or what has marked us yesterday is easy. Like in the present, there is so much we could do for those times. Yet, the first step toward getting out of such a trap is getting our heads out of the water.
The effects those situations have when they go through our minds are real; our hearts seem like a drum and two speakers are tied to each ear, blasting noise and disorienting us. What we feel is authentic, but the moment we are in right now is a different one. It could be happening, happened, or will happen, yet I think we need to create some space between that and ourselves. To overcome what is not here, phantoms and shadows, we must look at what is, or for that matter, hear, taste, feel, and smell. So, when you feel you are being dragged, you know what to hang on to.
I know there is so much more from that first step, but it is crucial to be out of the water to try to breathe. This won't magically make the dog stop barking, or me from getting annoyed when it happens. Yet, I find certain tranquility from the fact that I'm doing everything that is up to me, seeing how pointless it is to succumb to that trap, and look at what exists rather than what doesn't. Remember to get your head out of the water if you feel you are suffocating.
