the every day

“Enlightenment is  not a denial of the world.  Is is the experience of seeing deeply into the nature of existence.”   from Jivamukti Yoga

I once lived very manically, swinging from high to low, never spending too much time in the middle.  Mistakenly I believed my creativity lay in the extremes of my emotions, never understanding the obvious..that such extremes allowed me only to express the extremes of my emotion. It was all about me.

I found the middle to be mediocre.  There was certainly nothing to be found in mediocrity.  But I was wrong..on both accounts.  The middle place is full of opportunity and creativity, abundant in possibility.  And mediocrity, well the every day is quite beautiful.  In fact, the every day holds every thing. It is what inspires me.

I watched the news the other night and to learn that scientists had discovered the reason for the paper thin shell of the argonaut octopus.  I had never seen an argonaut before.  It’s a beautiful creature, an octopus essentially living in a shell,  a nautilus.  The shell is so thin it offers no protection, so it was puzzling why this octopus had made such an adaptation.  Scientists learned that the shell is used to trap air and used for ballast.  The octopus can control the trapped air and move about.  Pretty amazing.

I am captivated by this creature. But I am just as easily captivated by the squirrels in my yard and the tomato plants I just put in my garden.  I sat on the bench in my front yard last week, watched people walk by, listened to a sweet bird sing, and  admired the growth of the weeds and flowers alike. Life happens.  When I take a moment and actually  sit in the happening, I happen too. I recognize that I am in the middle of this. I am a part and whole of this All. This is Equanimity.