We all need time for reflection. Reflecting on how we become who we are isn’t the same as lingering on the past. Reflection includes the assimilation of information rather than merely the recollection of information or events. It is this assimilation, the digesting of how we become who we are, that provides us with opportunity to avoid making the same mistakes again.
We often notice recurring patterns in behaviours, attitudes and actions when we reflect. Knowledge is useful. Without realisation of these patterns, samskara, then we are less able to actively change. It’s like driving a muddy road in a car. If the road has been driven many times and the mud has dried into deep ruts it is easiest to just drive along in the wheel tracks made before…remaining within the rut. However the knowledge and recognition of this tendency to remain in the same rut is like rainfall. Rainfall can freshen the air and moisten the earth…softening the edges of the rut. This makes it easier to start to drive a new route. Or maybe drive a slightly different part of the same road.
When driving along in a rut maybe we are just that little to low to see the view over the hedge. Especially if these are deep ruts, habits, samskara, formed over many years. Maybe they encourage us to narrow our vision of the world, to not look beyond the obvious. After all if we are continually deep within the confines of our rut then that is our view and our horizons are much smaller. However as soon as we drive on the path in a new way, rather than allowing ourselves to stay driving in a rut, we can see more opportunities. Almost as though getting out of the rut clears our vision so we can see further, over hedges into surrounding scenery. To be able to notice the changing countryside we pass as we drive through our lives. Plus being more aware also of the other roads and paths in the distance that offer alternative routes and different destinations.
This last few weeks for me has offered much reflection and hence much learning. I recently regained contact with a university friend who has reminded me of who I was when we knew each other 18 years ago. It opened my eyes to how many habitual thought and behaviour patterns I developed through my twenties that have grown into who I am today. It allowed me opportunity to reflect on the different paths I could have taken and how easy it was to remain driving at least partly in the same rut without realising it. It also provided much amusement when I reviewed photographs and discussed events from the time. Not just the clothes but the eyebrows!!
I love my meditation and reflection time. Quiet time has allowed me to learn to be comfortable within myself. I can find that quiet time on my mat, but also in a busy airport or even sat in a crowded place. It is a common misconception that meditation must be within the confinement of a particular seated position, in solitude and in silence. However meditation, the goal of one pointed focus, can be on the present moment such as mindfulness techniques, or maybe on an object or a thought. These can be practiced anywhere.
Hence there is no reason not to include reflection and meditation within your life. There is always opportunity to quieten your mind, to reflect and to focus. This allows us to widen and clear our vision, gives us the information and opportunity to change behaviours, attitudes and action and hence to broaden our opportunities. We all would say we want to appreciate life more, to see the life we are leading and to enjoy and maybe improve the scenery on the path we choose. Also the reminder that there are so many other paths available to us, although the route between paths and roads can be even tougher than getting out of deep ruts on the existing path. In my experience it is often that which we have found tough in route that provides the greatest rewards.
Reflection, for me, has re enthused my drive for positive change. I am inspired to continue my reflection but maybe with more planning. Reflecting on how certain events have shaped me and how certain people make me feel. I am hoping that this will open my eyes to making positive changes in the future. For me staying in a rut is never going to open my future potential for if you do what you’ve always done you will get what you’ve always done. Hence I will learn from my past, notice my present and open up my future.