What a peaceful and beautiful Sunday afternoon. I decided to venture my way to my community backyard by the little pond to read my new book, a wonderful gift called “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss. I just received it this morning and was excited to start reading. My room on the other hand did not have any sunlight and was quite chilly for a summer day in Orlando (it’s like 80 degrees out but my room was very cool. Both good and bad thing). Nevertheless, I took my hat, sunglasses, a bottle of water, my blue yoga mat and sat under the shade. Oh, I even took my panda bear as a pillow to lay on. I figure if I’m doing this I’m going to be comfortable. My brother was kind enough to help me with my things, we found a spot and he left. This was the second time I laid my mat outside on the grass. I forget how soft the ground actual is. The Earth beneath us feels amazing! I placed my mat in the direction of the pond and I laid on my panda bear. The soft breeze brushed against my face and body allowing me to in take the moment and enjoy the nature. I hear birds chirping, crickets (or just bugs buzzing) around me, and the fading in and out of the AC units behind me by the townhouses. It’s only loud when I pay attention to it, it fades when my mind is concentrating elsewhere. I gazed up to the sky filled with puffy white clouds and I thought to myself as I did when I first moved to Orlando, the sky here is so beautiful. The visibility is incredible and you can see very far!

Bringing my focus back to the book, I began my first chapter.

I am bug-a-phobic (if that’s even a word) so I see all these tiny little creatures climbing onto my mat or flying by me. Every time one gets close, I flinch, it’s automatic I can’t even help it. There were tons of little ants, a red bodied spider, a greenish blue fly, a love bug, a huge dragonfly, and the worst a huge wasp. That one I had to get up and made sure it did not come to me. Sometimes I freeze in place just so it won’t bother me. If I don’t bother them, they won’t bother me right? Right.

I tried to keep my body from getting numb so I change positions from sitting to laying down and so forth. As I continued to read, out of the corner of my eye I spy an airplane. It seemed so close yet so far away. From the colors, I’m guessing it was a Southwest plane. I reached my hand up to the sky, it’s as big as my nail. Over the course of an hour or so 5 more planes flew over, another southwest, possibly two United, one jetblue, and another jet I had no idea. Sometimes I saw them, other times I heard them overhead. It’s amazing how everything becomes louder when you are more aware and at a peaceful state in which your mind isn’t so busy for once.

In the mist of my embracement with nature, my phone beeped. Just in case I checked it. My assistant manager just quit. Wait what? As surprised as I was at the moment, we all knew he was driving a two hour commute each day. He also just had a baby so he was and has been on the look out for another job. Sadly today was his last day and I didn’t work with him all last week. Fortunately, he was getting a better position closer to his home. I wished him the best of luck and will definitely miss him. He was a pretty awesome manager!

I finished just about the second chapter of the book at this point and one of quotes that stood out to me was, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts.” -The Dhammapada.

If you believe so, then it is so… We are so invested in our way of thinking that we do it without realizing it. If you believe in yourself, then others will believe in you. If you think it’s a good idea, then it is. If you think it’s not for you, then don’t do it. No one should or could change your mind. Your perspective is what matters. However, that does not mean that you shouldn’t take other people’s advise. We still need to keep an open mind to different opinions. After all, we don’t know everything. We can’t. Even if we think we do. In the end the most important thing is how you look at it.

If you believe so, then it is so…

Lots of love (lol),
D

p.s. while I was packing up to go home, another plane flew by. haha.