The Still Point

Thousands of years into the future, when we look back at this funny time in human evolution, we'll smile (or whatever our version of smiling may be) about a few of our early mis-takes.
1. That we prized independence so fiercely, moving as far away from our families as fast and as early as we could, living in boxes alone, transporting ourselves around alone, having babies alone (even if it's with a partner), eating alone, entertaining ourselves alone. When what we really wanted all along was the opposite thing: Connection.
2. That in our rush to independence and progress, we chucked out some extremely useful tools. Such as using techniques for de-exciting the mind and body, like meditation. Things our forefathers knew how to do naturally: Accessing that Still Point within ourselves—that quiet, massive reserve that lies at the seabed of our conscious mind, underneath all the mental noise.
3. That we spent so much time talking about, reading books about, and consulting experts about how to be better, we totally forgot we came equipped with our own inner GPS. It was trying to guide us the right way all along, but like an avalanche beacon buried under huge snowfall, it was muffled and hard to hear.

I use a lot of different tools to find health and happiness, and take the best tips I can from some incredible experts to heal imbalance and make better choices. But these things are all scenes in the Second Act. They come after Act One, which is the fundamental, daily, and totally ordinary process of de-exciting the mind and body deliberately. To me, meditating is finding the way to that seabed again and again--being in or near the Still Point for a few minutes. It is so integral to being fully functional--my favorite new phrase, by the way--that I'm not sure how we're supposed to get by without it.

The Still Point is where the deep rest we need to fuel our multi-faceted, independent-but-actually-when-you-think-about-it-making-new-webs-of-connection-that-are-just-different-from-our-forefathers lifestyles.

The Still Point is where we begin to hear that peep! peep! of our inner GPS, the innate knowledge of what's good for us, who to align with, and when to act and when to just sit still and wait.

The Still Point is where we begin to actually experience--instead of thinking, talking, or reading about--that thing, that lovely indescribable gossamer durable powerful thing: Connection.