Ruta 5

It was pretty much out of a horror movie. We pulled in to this hotel late last night while heading south on Ruta 5. As we parked the car it started to pour as a light switched on and a man came out to greet us. Jeff may have cried himself to sleep but we've finally made it to Pucón. And we’ve named our car Hoopdita.

2014

ginger licorice tea

 

I’ve been trying to take care of my body more— better sleep, cleaner meals, stretching, moving my body daily, cold finishes in the shower, meditation, slowing down.

This morning I made a ginger licorice tea and put on a Tara Brach meditation. I felt resentful of how hard I have to work to be in the moment. I’m swimming up stream. Why has stimulation become the baseline of my life? “Even if your mind feels lost in the clouds of thought, just come back.” The act of returning is the practice itself, right? But still, why is it so hard to take 18 minutes out of my day to ground myself and keep clear of the noise?

We are living in a system of distractions. Is it possible that all the noise and routine of Western society is humanity’s tool for avoiding our own pain? What is it about stillness that is so scary to us? And how much pain are we creating by leaning into these systems that do not gift us the opportunity to turn inwards?