Silence

To sit in silence is to relax and just breathe. No time constraints, no rubbish to listen to. You feel your own heartbeat thumping. You feel your diaphragm contract and expand with every breath you take. You clear your mind of all things. Relax and let your mind go.
You walk outside, the sun is shining brightly, you walk through a prairie full of pretty wild flowers. There are a million of them; some are yellow, purple and white. It smells so delightful. The sky is the prettiest shade of blue I had ever seen. The white clouds in the sky where so puffy; you just want to touch them.
You reach the forest and you take notice of how tall the trees are. You notice the animals of the forest, how the squirrel scurries up a tree. You hear the sound of a woodpecker off in the distance. The forest is full of life. You take notice of all the plant life on the earth’s floor. Every sound is magnetized and every creature you see is so perfect.
As you walk in the forest, there is a fork in the road ahead. At the center of that fork there is an animal waiting for you. What animal is it? This is your animal guide. He/she will guide you peacefully to where you want to go. Trust this animal, for he/she is your friend and will never harm you. My guide is a bear; I see him and greet him. He looks friendly and I am not afraid. I trust him.
My guide leads me to the edge of the forest. Off in the distance I see a cabin in a field. In front of the cabin there is a small pond. There are a lot of wild flowers and some trees as well. It looks so beautiful, and peaceful. I thank my guide, for keeping me safe on my journey. He waits for me at the edge of the forest.
As I walk in the front of the cabin, I stop by the pond; I took a deep breath and admire all of the beauty that surrounds me. I walk into the cabin, it is very cozy, and there is one huge room with a very long kitchen table with chairs and a fireplace. There is also a kitchen off to the side. It is very quiet.
As I looked around, my heart swelled up. I kept thinking about what had brought me there. My heart was heavy and I wasn’t sure what to do. A man dressed in his attire came out; he was a man of great importance, he was a great leader in his day. He took my hand and said don’t worry; you are in the right place. We are here to help you. He called the others and one by one they came out and introduced themselves and welcomed me with a hug. They were from all over the world. The clothes they wore were of that time period. The funny thing was, I was not afraid at all. Every person at that table was of very high importance and was known all over the world. Some were inventors, some philosophers, all different cultures, religion and ages too.
This was my golden opportunity to ask questions, to gain some insight on what I was supposed to do in my life. I asked a question: What am I supposed to be doing with my life? I heard answers such as: follow your heart, you will know when it is time to do something different, any form of helping others, and you have a voice, let it be heard, you are doing what needs to be done.
I asked another question: I know so many good, loving, people who are not in this world anymore. I am afraid I won’t find any more like them. Why are all the good ones taken and so many mean ones left? Again, around the room I heard from each of them. Here are some of their responses: They never left you, they are with you all the time. When they passed on, you took a part of them with you, and you carry that part around with you every day. Their soul is in heaven and is reflected by the stars in the sky. Reach for them, talk to them, look for them, their soul is with you.
I asked another question: To carry on, I need to get rid of all anger, and learn to love and trust again. Why do people do so many evil things and how does one carry on from it? The amazing thing about all of this was; we all spoke from the heart, we looked into each other’s eyes as we spoke. It was as though you could see straight to their heart. Even though all these people came from all over the world, there was a oneness. Here are the responses that I heard: You control only you, you have to let what happened to you be their lesson, not yours. Your mind and body are tools; your soul will always remain. Your test in life is the choice that you make because of their meanness. Will you treat others the same or will you learn by others’ actions. It made you a strong person, and it softened your soul to feel for others.
I had one final question: May I come back? All with a smile, or nod, simply said yes. I stood up and walked to the door; each one greeted me with a goodbye hug and wished me a safe journey. I stepped out of the house and took a deep breath. I felt a thousand pounds lighter. I stood there looking at the beautiful scenery around me, part of me never wanted to leave this place of peace. I stayed there awhile, soaking everything in. All the words of wisdom from so many noble men, who not only did I respect, but they respected me.
As I walked back to the edge of the forest I saw my bear scratching his back on a tree. He looked huge standing up, but deep down I wasn’t afraid of him. He waited until I got close and then he led me through the forest. I noticed the beauty of the forest, but not like before. My head was swimming and my heart felt so alive. And for once in a very long time, I didn’t have to worry. I knew that whatever happens in my life, I would be fine.
I said goodbye to my guide and thanked him for keeping me safe on my journey. I told him that I would be back again. I hugged him and left walking through the prairie. It was not long before I made it home. I took a few deep breaths and opened my eyes.
What I know is that what happens in my life depends on me, no one else. No one is making my decisions for me; I am not giving my power over to anyone else to do so. Everything said, and every action has to come from a place of love. Live not for this very moment, but with the future of this world and all who are in it constantly on your mind. We are one and the same. Our body and mind are tools, but our souls are the same.
The bad is out there so that we can appreciate the good. The bad is out there for us to learn from it. The bad is out there because it is someone’s journey at that particular time. The bad is out there so you can decide how you want to be, how you want to live your life.
There is no right and no wrong, just lessons, just love. There are many doors leading to the same place, we all have our own journey to get there, so don’t judge others because their approach differs from yours. In the grand scheme of life, we are here to learn from others and to love one another.