I stand watching the ocean and become aware of the sounds
happening all around. I notice there is ringing in my ears, but instead of
judging it, I just listen to it with gentle curiosity. Noticing how it
keeps changing. How sound is change. How sound needs time, it can’t work
without it.
We can preserve an image in a moment, but
not sound. Without time, sound doesn’t work. What is sound? It is waves of
vibrating air molecules hitting the eardrum, which then creates a sense
impression in the mind.
I notice the sound of seagulls and feel the
breeze and the cool air all around and within me. It feels invigorating,
uplifts my mood, and my attention becomes centred on the air element.
Thoughts continue in the background like
whispy white noise, and I notice how similar they are to the ringing in the
ears, constantly changing. I feel grateful for the freedom to be able to
disengage from them, to stop identifying with them. To be able to absorb my
attention into something else instead, something more tranquil. Just that in
itself can feel like freedom. It is no fun being caught up in the head.
Constant thinking can be tiring and feel like torture.
I keep the body still and upright, enjoying
the solidity, the weight, the feeling of the earth element grounding me. I feel
the earth below spreading out boundless in all directions, and this helps to
steady the mind and bring some composure.