Do not even listen, simply wait.
Do not even wait, be quite still and solitary.
The world will freely offer itself to you.
~ Franz Kafka
To read a book, one must be still. To watch a concert, a play, a movie, to look at a painting, one must also be still. Religion, too, makes use of stillness, notably with prayer and meditation. Gazing upon a lake in autumnn or a quiet winter scene - that too lulls us into contemplative stillness. Life, it seems, favours moments of stillness to appear on the edges of our perception and whisper to us, "Here I am. What do you think?" Then we become busy and the stillness vanishes, but we hardly notice because we fall so easily for the delusion of busyness, whereby what keeps us busy must be important and the busier we are with it, the more important it must be. And so we work, work, work, rush, rush, rush. On occasion we say to ourselves, panting, "Gosh, life is racing by." But that's not it at all, it's the contrary: life is still. It is we who are racing by.
~ Yann Martel, What is Stephen Harper Reading
*****
I finished my marking today. May I have a day of stillness tomorrow?
6 comments:
Yes, my dear...you did a good job and deserve whatever kind of day you choose tomorrow!!!
Yay! Now you can play... or just be still.
yep, the day is all yours
That's my girl! I knew you could do it - I just hope you didn't burn yourself out by doing all that nasty marking. Go have a day to yourself and relax. Love you
Congratulations! Have fun on your Be Still day -- and get off of this computer LOL!
Yaaay you! Yes, you can have a day of stillness! Enjoy
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