Postcards from Equanimity # 006
Okay, it's already been 336 hours ago since I wrote to you. Random and semi-regular, funny or otherwise. This share is time sensitive.
Fall is my favorite time of the year. To be honest even more than winter. You want to know why, right? Because sometimes the anticipation is almost as good as, no, it's better than, the experience that we seek. It's true, human psychology and all. I bet you can think of at least one situation where the lead-up to something you had been looking forward to was full of tangible joy, that you hold and twist and turn in your imagination, almost to the point of being better than the experience. When you are in the middle of a very enjoyable experience a part of your mind is already dreading that it will end. Plus once the experience begins a satiety factor also goes into effect. Together these start to take away from the joy a bit. This attrition of joy may actually be almost protective in keeping your mindset from suddenly falling apart when the end comes. But when you are in anticipation phase you don't have these concerns. Basically, all your mental energy is focused on the joy of the experience. Silly, isn't it!
So fall is my favorite time of the year. It is the sound of the warbler and the nightingale, as they flock to fly south for the winter, the preparation for the actual event that is to come. For us humans that event is the holiday season. But more than that, depending on where you live fall also stands just fine on its own, offering a lovely closure to summer, a change in the weather, and hopefully a change in the foliage. Winter was my favorite time of the year growing up; I looked forward to snow days off from school. Then as a resident in New England I was lucky to experience some magical falls. Those memories call on me every October. Wherever I have lived since I have been able to appreciate the subtle shift in the collective mood of humanity around me.
So what about you? Do you have any fall memories you cherish? Fall traditions? (I'll be honest Halloween is my least favorite holiday though I do my best to enthusiastically support others who love it.)
How do you recall your memories? My memories have soundtracks. The natural go-to for fall, especially on a crispish morning when one may be on a walk or driving to work, is the quintessential fall song- Autumn Leaves. If you know the song then you know it has been recorded by many performers, the most popular versions are in English and in French, and there are instrumental versions as well. Here are my two of my favorite versions, and a fall bonus:
Edith Piaf - Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes)
Diana Krall - Autumn In New York
While these tracks flesh out my mind's memory palette, this fall has also gifted me a new experience, the making of a new fusion memory. This past Tuesday, as my Floridian self was reminiscing fondly about those New England days, and enjoying the background play of the above links, my "smart" phone offered a follow up song it decided was related. I was about to change the track but it was evening, and being in a relatively mellow mood, I let it play on. That song was Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohen. It whisked me away to a whole new dimension. As the melody of a song will attach itself to your amygdala, it's the lyrics that can help construct the 3D fabric of space where an event happens. Verse by verse Beale Street materialized, on a dark evening, with cold rain, as the singer, and I, found our way to a cafe. A sandwich plate, a whiskey to warm us up, and a piano in the corner with a capable musician. I have not been to Graceland yet though if memory serves there are hardwood trees on Beale street that change colors in fall. It was as if the undercurrent of fall found its way into this song's narrative. From there my mind took an unexpected journey across my life and times. Fall in Jacksonville giving way to fall in St. Louis. Then Chicago. And Seattle. Even Wilmington, Delaware, my hometown in my teens.
For a good 10 minutes I was able to summon the autumn of many cities, and relive the joy of them all.
In reading about the eastern traditions, the notion of meditation is one that is a bit hard to pin down for a beginner, sometimes even for a practitioner. There are many way to meditate. Though the "classic" approach is to emptying the mind vessel, it may be more practical to try to focus the mind on a single moment in time or a desirable event that happened to us. This is nothing more than intentional manifestation of an idea.
There is great power in our memories. Using sound, in this case music, to focus our mind on a particular moment, a place, or a phase of our life can effectively be a form of meditation. As you experience fall wherever you live, I invite you to explore your memories of this season. If you can, create a space, a favorite nook of your house, perhaps with comfort of a beverage, and take 10 minutes to drop all agendas and just sit with your memories of fall. You may find this journey relaxing and refreshing. You may find you come out of it with a new, easy energy. While it is likely that we all have a myriad of emotions and memories of each season, the goal here is to pick a positive moment and build on it to see what comes forth.
Give it a go and if you do I'd love to hear how it went for you. Wishing you productivity as well as peace for this weekend and the week ahead.