Distractions

I love life. More particularly, I love my life. I feel lucky and life feels good. But that isn't really why I love my life. No, it is more that there are such possibilities in existence, such untapped capacity to go deeper and deeper into life, being, or essence. I certainly am not thinking of the Nike type of possibilities, to 'just do it', to go harder and faster and take on more things. While I understand the attraction of new additions to our lives, to travel and creating a bucket list to aim for, or edgy sports, I sometime wonder if all this novelty is not much more than a distraction.

Distractions take our attention away from something, they literally distract us so we don't see. The more interesting question is what we see when we are not distracted. When we are very present to our selves, our physical being, our minds, our thinking. It is these times that allow us to move deeper into our being, that experience of our self, the inner 'I'.

I was recently in South Africa at a conference, and took some time after to go on a Safari in the Kruger National Park. This was quite an extraordinary time, not just for all the magnificent creatures I saw, or the savannah, but for the other times when we were not out in the vehicle or walking (it was called Africa on Foot). This small camp was too remote for power lines and so we lived by gas hot water and paraffin lamps at night. It also meant that there was no television, no internet, no blog, no cell phone, no rugby results and no email. There was just searching for animals, looking at the stars, and then, after meals, reading and sleeping. We couldn't go walking off into the bush as it was potentially too dangerous. There was just rest, reading and being. No distractions. That was the best part, just silence (though I didn't hear the lions walking outside my hut one night; their tracks gave them away!). I can't recall ever feeling so refreshed, even with 5am starts each morning.

When I finally got back to Johannesburg for one night before flying out, I stayed in this cheap hotel near the airport. It was raining. So I ended up watching some rugby on TV, then channel surfing, watching three movies simultaneously, while all my 'being' said, 'go to bed and read a book'. Well, I finally got to bed, tired and late. And I thought this is such a stupid thing to do, fritter away my time with crappy TV programmes. It did nothing for my mind, my health, my well-being. It was such a contrast to the beautiful time in Kruger.

This Johannesburg syndrome was all about distraction and habits. I am not opposed to TV, well, not entirely, and it does have a place, but it can so easily suck our time and energy, and simply lure us away from our selves. Silence is a gift in which we can visit our selves, getting in touch and listening. The great gift of Kruger for me was this reminder to recognise the nature of distractions, not turn the TV on and take time to think, read, sit quietly with myself. That is enough and it is beautiful.

That's why I love life!