Stillness

“Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.”
-Eckhart Tolle

“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Allow nature to teach you stillness.” -Eckhart Tolle
Today, that’s exactly what I did. There’s a local rose garden near me that’s maintained beautifully in every season. It’s open to the public to enjoy right in the middle of the bustling city. Whenever I enter this oasis, everything becomes still, and my anxiety slowly melts away.

Whenever the world feels overwhelming, the two things that make me feel grounded and real again are drawing and nature. I’ve lived in many different environments. Living in the city currently, I really try to make time to find a garden, nature preserve, or park to go walking in. The beauty of nature happening around you is such an inspiring thing. It feels like stillness compared to the hectic world outside, but really, there is so much happening.

As my thoughts slow down, my senses tune into the fascinating world around me. The mycelium network forming below my feet and reaching out to the fallen trees with large turkey tail mushrooms growing. The dung beetle is humming along with his ball of poo. The tiny frogs hop along to the pond at the bottom of the trail. I stop and listen to the morning doves sing. I look up, and there’s a mulberry tree with berries ripening. This is art.