Like Clouds In A Windy Sky

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.  Conscious breathing is my anchor.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

 

I have written many times about how our feelings are not who we really are.  The analogy I used was a mountain.  We are the mountain and our feelings are the weather experienced by the mountain.  Feelings can’t be planned and like the weather they cannot be forecasted 100%.  Sometimes I am down in the dumps for no apparent reason and I cannot guarantee I will always be happy and jovial on Christmas morning.  I have learned over time that my feelings are not always directly attributable to any specific event, whether it be good or bad.  Good fortune does not necessarily make me happy and bad luck doesn’t always make me sad.  Joy is something that usually surprises us.  Happiness is a gift that we can never find when we are looking for it but it finds us when we least expect it.  Sadness is something I seem to experience more when I learn of other people’s misfortune more than a feeling I have based on my own woes.  Sometimes I feel melancholy when I think about all the evil and suffering in the world.  Other times I am down in the dumps because I just don’t feel good.  A nap or a good night’s sleep is often the cure.  Feelings are like clouds.  Sometimes they seem to form into these huge things but if you just wait, they will turn into mist and slowly fade away.  Feelings, despite their unreliability, are a big part of what makes us human.  We have to accept the bad with the good.  Would you be willing to give up the feeling of happiness in exchange for never feeling fear or sadness?  Whatever your feeling of the moment, if your feelings cause you to lose your way, just stop where you are and breathe.  As long as you are breathing you are OK.  I recently saw a quote on Facebook that went “A deep breath is the beginning of every solution.”