I sat on the bench, looking out over the lush little valley I was in. This man-made oasis of beauty in the middle of the Arizona desert was a both a haven and a challenge. I came here to reconnect. With my self. With nature. With the world. I was feeling on the cusp of some great revelation. Both at one with the universe yet also in a way completely lost to it. I was both at peace and yet filled with the electric potential of possibility.
Such was the energy of this little valley that the sky overhead was cloudless; the stars clear and refreshing. Yet on the outskirts lightning flashed. The same dichotomy I felt. I breathed deeply, emptied my mind, and focused on the flashes of lightning in the distance. At first it was just the sky lighting up, no actual bolts. I continued to just breath. Thoughts stopped lingering in my head. If they chose to visit they just passed through. Then on a whim, I pointed to a spot on the hill ring surrounding us.
At exactly the moment I pointed, a bolt of lightning struck right where I pointed.
I waited a few seconds and then did it again. And then again.
Then I started thinking again, and the connection to the universe was gone. For thirty seconds of my life I was so in tune with the world around me that I “knew” exactly where lightning would strike. And then thought got in the way.
This is an actual memory. I am not sure why I am sharing it now. I guess I am feeling that same dichotomy of lost and connected. And the need to share. So I just started writing, and this is what emerged. Is there some profound message here? Possible not. Maybe it is just a reminder for myself to not over think. Or maybe someone out there will find some use for these words.
Or maybe they will be just some mild entertainment for someone on a grey day.
Or never read at all.
Maybe that is the lesson I need to remind myself.