Sun In Your Eyes

Live your life like there’s always sun shining in your eyes…

Distractions… we all got them. Some are big, some are small, but what they all have in common is that they are taking away from us. And not just time. Peace and freedom, too.

Living in the 21st century in a modern society, there are so many distractions that we are not even aware of. News, magazines, TV, social networks… only to name a few. In moderate, all can be useful, but who are we kidding? We are far from that.

These distractions can be pretty nasty business. Making you always measure yourself, other people, and the worst, yourself to other people. Is this situation good? Is it bad? So many thoughts going on in our heads, it’s a miracle we’re not certifiable insane.

So, what can we do? For a start, we need a distraction from our distractions. You know the feeling when the sun is shining in your eyes, so you don’t see very well, but more feel things around you? That’s what you should be looking for. If we don’t notice so many things around us, we can concentrate on ourselves. Because everything comes from within. Tend your own garden, before peeking into neighbor’s.

Find peace, slow down. Meditate on yourself. When was the last time you really sat down and had a conversation with yourself? Are you satisfied with who you are and what you do? For happiness, finding your true path is really important. What is that YOU need, what things really matter to you? Not what other people or society wants you to care about. Is it easy? No! Is it worth it? Heck, yes!

Practically, what that means? Start small. Try to figure out what are your distractions. Sort them: which ones are the most tiring and which ones you can get rid rather easily. And every step that you make, no matter how little it may seem, can give you strength to keep going. When I got rid of my makeup ‘addiction’, I felt really liberated. Sometimes, seeing through the maze we got ourselves in and recognizing the distractions can be the hardest thing.

Recently, I realized people around me and most things about human behavior is a huge distraction for me. I’m walking down the street, seeing them all and for some weird reason, noting so many details on them. Overweight, skinny, tall, short, old, young, pretty, fashionable, weird clothes combination… And I feel so tired. Like it’s my job to notice them all, to take in all of their features. To judge them and probably, at the core of it all, to measure myself up to them. One of the worst things we can do to ourselves and our positive self-image, to our happiness is to compare ourselves with other people.

Being an introvert with that weird ‘people noticing’ habit, it is quite understandable that I don’t like large crowds and prefer a less hectic environment. Last weekend, quite by accident, we found a large forest near the lake we often go to. Solely by being in the nature, surrounded with all that life and greenery, made me realize that forest is my happy place.

I didn’t mind noticing all the different leaves and flowers, small lizards, ants, bees, woodpeckers, pheasants… Instead of getting tired, I got energized. The forest wisdom was almost tangible. It was simple and real. I felt connected to it all. Nothing was too much or unnecessary. We breathed in nature. It was around us, in us. We were nature. Nothing mattered anymore. No place I would rather be. No thinking about future or past. Somehow, everything made sense. Life… so beautiful, so clear. Every little thing I obsess in my funny human life seemed to vanish. I couldn’t even remember them. Just being grateful for life itself.

On our way back, we had to go through a reasonable crowd of people to get home. Having that peace within me from the forest and the sun shining in my eyes, I felt liberated. I didn’t have to notice details about other people. They were just… there. So, now, even when there’s no the sun shining in my eyes, I do the same. Find a peace within me, and look somewhere in the distance, relying more on my feelings and not eyes-brain combo 🙂

One thing is certain, our true path leads to forest, where we would probably live as two hermits, enjoying nature and simple life. Until then, it’s our mission to gather as much peace as possible living in a busy capital.

Hopefully, dear reader, this post inspires you to sit with yourself and figure out what you really want and which distraction may be on the way to your true happiness. Don’t be afraid to change. Change is growth and growth is always a good thing.