View from a Hammock

Lounging, relaxing, kicking back, laying around, doing nothin', just being, chillin' - as they sang it in The Sound of Music, these are a few of my favorite things. It seems that we're not very good at this in our caffeinated, hyperactive society. When we do break away from our obsessions/obligations with working, making money, and taking care of others, we still seem to think we have to be "doing" something. Unfortunately, this often means watching tv, surfing the internet or playing video games. When we do get the chance to just sit around and do nothing, sometimes we feel that we've done something shameful and are reticent to share it with others. A culture of relaxation and peace is silenced and thus, elusive.

I've recently put up a hammock in my yard and I'm pretty sure it's the most wonderful invention in human history. The colorful hand-made gift from Costa Rica is suspended in the midst of a small grove of pine trees whose shade creates an ambiance of sanctuary and reverie. I admit to bringing a book with me often (part of the compulsion to feel like I must be doing something), but sometimes, and somehow, the circumstances compel me to drop the book in the dust below and just be. Looking up at the mysterious patterns of branches against the backdrop of the sky above, I sway slightly, feeling a bit like a swaddled baby being rocked to sleep.

The still dance
of quiet joy
I am a cloud
Floating
Dreaming

To transform this world and unleash the creative harmonies that exist within and betweeen us, the view from a hammock just might offer an important perspective. Letting go of personal agendas and future outcomes, the view from a hammock can help us to re-train ourselves. We can begin to remember what it is like to glide, free of the hindrances of self-doubt and aggression.