Discussion»Questions»Outside the Mug» If you had to live in a single moment for the rest of eternity and you could design how it would look, smell, feel, sound and taste like?
Deep in a state of meditation, where the mind is still without thoughts running through it, and the Ego has dissolved would be that moment. The mind cannot grasp such a state of being, so one cannot understand this by thinking about it.
Since this is a fantasy, I will take it a step further and become a bird, much as Jonathan Livingston Seagull after he had learned so much: I would be soaring through the sky right after a much needed rain, dive down nearly to the ground to catch a whiff of petrichor near the edge of the forest before climbing again to breathe in the ozone. The sun's warmth and the fresh coolness of the air warming and cooling me simultaneously as I feast on the taste of freedom.
I would say that my happiest/ warmest memory was when my youngest was only about 1, my middle was 4, and my oldest was 13. The kids and I cultivated quite the backyard oasis. We had a great garden plot and different plants throughout the yard. The little ones would play around, chasing geckos and butterflies, grabbing food straight from the plants as they saw fit. My oldest would sometimes come sit with us and we'd talk about whatever interested him at the time. I had all the time in the world. For me, that was pure contentment. Nature and happy kiddos. If I had to live any moment for the rest of my life, I'd go back to a memory like that.
One memory I have that sticks with me is when we first got our baby home from the hospital. He was overdue to come out and his heart was stopping and I was freaking out at the nurses and they had to do an emergency c section on my wife and revive him. After everything I remember standing in our kitchen and feeling so relieved because I could hold him and hear him breathing. It was a wonderful feeling to have him safe in my arms.
The other memory I have is back when my ex and I were still in love and we would cuddle in bed all afternoon. The warmth of her body and the smell of her skin and her hair. As much as I can't stand her now I still loved those times.
So those are two blissful moments that I remember and I guess if I had to be stuck in a moment those were nice ones. : )
Thanks. Yeah it was crazy because our doctor was on holidays and we had some false alarms and late nights and I had to drive her an hour away to a different hospital and that doctor was working on someone else while our baby was struggling. I was watching his heartbeat and losing it every time it would drop off. I was frantic trying to get the nurse to get the doctor. Finally they took my wife and I told her I love her and I was pushing her bed and I had to wait outside of the emergency area. I was really scared, but relieved when they brought me our son. He looked out of the blanket and looked around. In that moment I thought "Wow, I really have a baby to look after." It was exciting and surreal.
For me, it would be when I was a young child and spent time at the shore with my family. My family was hardly the perfect bunch, but my memories of them are all pleasant when we were at the shore. I wouldn't change a thing about the cottage we stayed in. It was only a half block from the beach. I will always remember the sound of the surf at night, the sound of the gulls in the morning, and bicyclists peddling down the street. I remember the smell of bacon cooking, warm cinnamon rolls, suntan lotion on the beach, the feel of warm sand on my toes, and the happy anticipation of what activity we were going to do after a full day on the beach.
Funny, I knew I was living a fantasy life even then. It was only two weeks a year, but it was my very favorite time. Everyone in the family seemed happy and relaxed.
My first thought, to float in a medium as viscous as the saltiness of the Red Sea, 27C, weightless and relaxed; the sight would be a warm yellow light, soft like late afternoon; the sound mellow and sweet perhaps like the carolling of a butcherbird, the scent would be like the nectar of a nasturtium in clear, fresh air; the taste as of fresh rain water.
Baba's idea of meditation comes close to it for me. On about the 6th day of a ten day Vipassana course, the mind becomes very still and enters a near perpetual present. Truth is, all things change, so the skill is to be able to accept the change, accept one's own reactions and respond appropriately.
Bozette 