FanStory.com - Observing from the ocean floorby Lindsey Pabst
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An analogy to help with practicing mindfulness
Observing from the ocean floor by Lindsey Pabst
Free Verse Poetry Contest contest entry

I seat myself upon the ocean floor of my being,

Feeling the weight of my bones heavy upon the earth,

The water is constantly in motion, yet in its ubiquitous presence conveys a suspended stillness around me,

I mirror the water - preserving quiet stillness within the constant motion of my breath,

Far away and high above lies the Surface of the water,

With its ever changing weather patterns of emotion and thought,

Nearly frantic in its constant reactions,

The depth below the surface of this ocean self provides a gift of perspective,

The deeper I remain, the less I feel the Surface’s swells and pulls,

With effort, I hold myself steady on the sandy bottom, 

And observe. 


Author Notes
This poem was inspired by a story relayed by Buddhist author Frank Ostaseski in The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully.

     

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