Sangha Member Post:
Yesterday I was meditating when the silence was suddenly broken by the distinctive drilling of a woodpecker against the metal grate on our chimney … D.d.d.d.d.d.d.d … listening … D.d.d.d.d.d.d … listening … silence.
My first reaction was frustration followed quickly by realizing I was “in the moment.”
I started to marvel a bit about woodpeckers – what strange and interesting creatures.
I don’t know about you but I find woodpeckers incredibly optimistic. In a world filled with bugs … I mean … literally brimming over with bug mass … woodpeckers choose to attack hard objects with sharp protrusions on their skull in the hope of hearing a bug.
If they actually hear a bug they go after it even harder. Optimistic!
Then I started to see similarities between the woodpecker and my life.
Many times I get so caught up in my personal drama that I fail to look up and see all that is already available and ready to be appreciated.
I muddle along doing “my thing” when some event catches my attention. Usually it is something where the Universe fails to accommodate one of my desires. I double down. I start lots of strategies to make the outcome, MY desired outcome. My attention becomes even more locked … D.d.d.d.d.d.d.d … I totally separate Self from Not-Self. I’ve repeated this pattern for years so you’d think the lack of satisfaction with the process would have sunk in. Optimistic!
Eventually, separations run out of steam or get replaced by the next separation … but what’s really cool is that some percentage of the time I practice observing the separation while it’s occurring. It might still try to run its course but with less steam and shorter duration and more understanding.
Namaste and Friendly Bows _/|\_