Staring Off...

Yesterday, we did a little variation of our practice of staring off. Often we find ourselves, my companion and I, on a bench staring off into the great wavy distance of Lake Michigan. It is an activity we adopted and perfected during the Covid-Lockdown months, and well, we have kept up the practice to this day. It's one of our favorite things to do. It really resembles complete goofing off, but, we have come to think of it as essential, important, spiritually re-enforcing, and life-enriching. Sitting on a bench becomes this sort of sacred ritual. We attend to the trees, the breeze, the light, the waves, the human beings of every kind on the path, all floating by like the never-ending river of unrelenting humanity. A rainbow coalition of beings. If you sit in one place long enough, it really does feel like the whole world will come to you and float past you.

Yesterday, we tried something different. We rode our bikes to a shady spot in the park, we found some still sort of green-grass, spread out a blanket, laid back and watched the passing clouds over-head. We reminded each other that we used to do this all the time when we were kids. It was fascinating. Really. There were dark clouds, light clouds, blue sky, all in a dance. There was big wavy tree adding to the excitement too. Sometimes it looked the clouds were moving across the sky, and sometimes it looked like the tree was moving and the clouds were still. It was entertaining and disorienting. We sipped Kombucha drinks and talked about everything, and nothing, under the sun and shade. It was quite the thing. Seems we have become experts at staring off into distances, doing nothing, and by that doing nothing, doing something.  Funny, relaxing, fulfilling & cool. Quite exciting, and fun, too. I am not kidding.