Friday, January 21, 2011

Let the Still Moment Live - Happiness Does Not Come in a Box

Let the Still Moment Live – Happiness Does not Come in a Box
By Edwin Martinez, PHR

Sometimes when we are still for a brief moment, time seems to stop and everything around us might strike us as empty and meaningless. We stare into thin air and simply allow the moment to exist without interruption until forced to shake it off and let time tick tock again as reality sinks in. That strange phenomenon that’s exists between our ears forces us to take notice from time to time and evaluate our very existence. What happens when we realize that life is far more than our surroundings? What is it that tugs at the guts and screams a silent voice of acknowledgement?

The greatest minds of the ages took the time to listen to an inner voice and made the choice to follow it. Those choices lead to the fulfillment of their destinies and have left imprints on our society that will carry on for generations to come. Still moments of reflection from time to time can help steer our life paths in ways we destined but not quite yet connected.

When I was a child around the age of five or so, I found a clear square box approximately 3x5 with a lid that opened and shut so perfectly. I don’t know who it belonged to but I remember thinking that if I owned that little box, I would be very happy. I don’t remember what happened to that box and or why I felt that way about it but, for some odd reason, that clear box always remained in my subconscious mind even throughout my adult years. Perhaps it represented some of my character traits or maybe even some of the things I am drawn to in my vocations.

Recently, I found another clear box causing me to recollect my memories about that box. I put it in my home office even though I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. All I know is that it brought me back to my childhood thinking that boxes like that can bring happiness. Perhaps it represented something greater than I could understand, but I am still not certain.

A few days ago, I came across that box while organizing my office. I looked at it and struggled whether to keep the box or discard it. My dear wife was in tune with my feelings and helped me detach from it as a representation of letting go. I didn’t have an out-of- this- world revelation as to what the box meant but I know that in releasing that “meaningless” box, I felt a sort of empowerment that is not so easy to put into words. Along with this personal experience, I am entering into a realm of detachment in other areas of life, which may help to experience even greater happiness than ever before.

Sometimes, life can get so cluttered with so many different views, likes and dislikes, judgments, expectations, disappointments, sorrows, false hopes, belief systems, and so on, that we cannot see the beauty of a simplified life of happiness, gratitude, and contentment. It appears that true happiness will come with the next best gift, promotion, job, truck, partner, etc. Only to find ourselves back in the still moments where reality nudges once again as we say “wait a minute…where am I? what did I do?; is this it?,”

Make today the day to have a still moment that brings you in a new direction and resist clinging to obstacles and impediments that have kept you bound to repeat another meaningless cycle.Taking advantage of the brief moments to ponder on our path for life before we transition into eternity may not be such a bad idea. Coming to a point of detachment to the things and illusions that trick one into believing that happiness is tied to the perishables of life can open the door to greater possibilities of expressing our life in this world. Let the still moment live. www.Edwin-Martinez.blogspot.com