“Honk! Honk!”
Yesterday I found myself in the city at rush hour. Hesitating to cross an intersection lest I get caught in the middle, but having not fully stopped, I crept slowly, eyeing the driver to my right who was anticipating turning right.
Finally the traffic in front of me moved, and as I cleared the intersection I heard, “Honk! Honk!” behind me.
There was stillness before, during, and after the honking; and freedom, and utter peace. Moments later rose the thought, “He’s honking because I didn’t let him in,” followed quickly by, “the car behind me honked to let him in.”
Both of those passed harmlessly through the same, all-pervading, unwavering stillness, like a storm through space. I noticed both options, but overriding was the third option, because I prefer the stillness.
Even a “good” I-thought is disturbance.
Initially, you may use a good thought as a cure for a bad one, to calm and still the mind–but the ultimate is to fall in love with the space between them: the reliable, calm stillness that never leaves you, no matter what is happening on the “outside.”
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Speak privately with Cindy about discovering your inner peace of mind: