The Gift of Freedom
If I were to give my very best friend a present, what would it be? Certainly money is high on the list but I am not a rich man and I doubt that lint from my change pocket would fool anyone.
If I were to give my dear friend the greatest gift that I could think of, then I would give him the gift of peace of mind and freedom. To me these things are worth more than money because money doesn’t necessarily provide these things. Money can also be fickle; here today gone tomorrow.
But what if I had a way to give peace of mind and freedom in a different way, doing a simple exercise that could be done by almost anyone and almost anywhere. Well that’s a present that I like and a present that I can give.
Please don’t think of me as being self centered and lost in my own feeling of grandeur. I truly wish to give this gift to you with a feeling of friendship and love. I don’t expect anything in return except a positive comment or two and the hope that it helps you as much as it has helped me. I would not be over exaggerating when I say that this technique has helped to keep me sane.
I must admit though that I will get large helping of personal gratification if this gift is to your liking. I give because it makes me feel good. I make no apologies for that.
The gift is a very simple one and it seems rather simplistic at first, but is has certain variables that give it great power.
My gift is this; I want to teach you how to take a walk, a simple walk that will help to ease all of that clutter in your head and help you to realize that freedom is just a matter of perspective. Or a better way to say it would be to say that freedom is really a matter of focus.
Find a nice quiet place where you can go for a nice long walk. Ideally the place for your walk would have a lot of nature and it is a quite peaceful area. Not everyone has access to this type of ideal walking area so if this is not possible for you, then a walk around your neighborhood will do.
Begin your walk and as you walk I want you to just begin to relax. All of the calamities of the day will naturally start to flood your mind and before long you will find that you have been thinking about a future deed that needs to be done or about a past experience that has become embedded in your mind.
So here is where the fun variable comes in; I want you to try with all your might to stay focused on your present moment. I want you to let go of the past and I want you to stop worrying about the future. I want you to begin to notice all of the things around you. I want you to look at the light from the sun and the shape of the clouds. I want you to pay attention to the noise around you. Weather it is a pleasant noise or not, I want you to focus only on the things right before you, right now.
If your thoughts wonder and you find yourself thinking about past or future events, I want you to strongly refocus your attention on the present moment. Walk and walk, taking one step after the other, concentrating only on the things that are before you.
After a while and when you find that you are getting pretty good and used to the idea that the only thing the exists right now is what is before you, I want you to also realize that you are only the you that is right here, right now.
If you do not look back in time or for that matter forward into what you have to do, you just become that which is here at the moment. The person that is here/now has no family, no friends, no responsibilities, no needs aside from taking one step after another.
All that you have and all that you are is right here, right now. If you must, I want you to pretend that you have amnesia and you do not remember who you are or where you come from. I want you to trick yourself then into believing that you are here alone and that the only thing that you really know is that you must be here and you must walk.
The best thing to do though is to just concentrate on the present moment and to forget about everything and everyone else.
Perhaps you think that this is a bad thing because you should not forget your children and your loved ones but believe me that when you help yourself in this way and you take the time to do this exercise, you are helping them. This exercise will rejuvenate you and it will allow you to find the peace that you need so that when you get back to “reality”, you will have the strength to carry on.
So please take the time, sometime this week and go for a walk and listen to the world around you. Use this gift to find freedom in your life.
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I just wanted to tell you that I find your writing quite refreshing and very straightforward. Thank you, as your style is helping me to grow and understand how much of “my world” is a construct of my own making (with A LOT of help…). The more I understand this very basic idea, the more I am able to create peace and love in my life, for its own sake. That is what I want to radiate in the world and you have given me valuable information in a way I can understand. So, truly, thank you.
Thank you very much for your kind words Rachel!
This is a great thing to do! Thank you!
This could help people to be in that state of Silent Knowledge which it seems that so many are striving for; even though they may not realize that is what they are striving for!
What Rachel said above about your writing and work here, are my thoughts exactly. Reading an article or two in your website each morning has become my “morning coffee”! …Your choice of words are so kind, soothing and inspiring.
Thank you!
Jhon…know that ur work helping us…keep sharing…