16 - On the Open road

It's there when you're on the Open road without another soul in sight

Transcript

Current Episode Introduction

This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter:

• O

• It's there when you're on the Open road without another soul in sight

It includes a brief description of the verse, a personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with Doses of God in my life, a statement of gratitude, and a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.

Description

Here is description of the verse:

• It's there when you're out on the Open road without another soul in sight

• When you are out on the open road without anybody else in sight, God is there. He is with you. Be completely still and feel His presence. See, hear, and feel everything. Witness all that surrounds you. Clear your mind from incessant thoughts and be aware of His existence. While on the open road, or in any other quiet place, you have a wonderful opportunity to realize His beautiful presence. In such quiet, still places you are free from many external distractions of the busy world that can cloud your vision of His presence. Be aware of everything, but do not focus too long on anything. Pay attention to your thoughts and the sights and sounds around you, but dwell on none of them. Take a breath. Don’t think. Just be aware. Feel the grace of God as He touches your soul.

Reflection

Here is my personal reflection on the verse:

• To me, this verse is about embracing solitary spaces to connect with God’s presence through the vast wonders of both the external world and my internal self. Solitude in an open space can be a conducive context for me to thoughtlessly witness the physical beauty around me, nonjudgmentally observe my random thoughts and sometimes orally dictate a stream of aimless contemplations into my phone, or honor and act on subtle inspirations that suddenly surface through the serenity. When driving alone on an open road, I have, at times, found myself feeling like I was perfectly positioned in a divine place of purity during each of these types of experiences.

• In terms of being a thoughtless witness of the physical beauty around me, I live in a beautiful geographic region with four seasons and plenty of highways with sparse traffic. Various professional responsibilities over the years that required me to travel out of town for meetings, conferences, or other obligations provided ample opportunity for me to soak in the natural beauty surrounding the peaceful highways. Periodically, I would pull over to snap a picture or simply sit in the stillness for a few moments. I have especially loved driving near dawn and dusk to witness the astonishingly stunning sunrises and sunsets; however, there have been plenty of other picturesque scenes capturing my attention along the way. I have noticed that there is always something beautiful to be aware of if I allow myself the opportunity to pay attention. This is true whether the pigment of leaves is green or brown or the branches on trees are bare; whether the fields are empty or ready for harvest or on the way to getting there; whether the sky is clear or cloudy or filled with snow or rain; whether the hills are high and rolling or there’s an endless expanding plain; whether there’s wildlife running or on the side of the road or birds are taking flight; whether the stars are shining and the moon is out or it’s dark as can be on a pitch black night.

• In terms of being a nonjudgmental observer of random thoughts, when driving alone with adequate attention to the road, I have often simultaneously found myself being an impartial watcher of my mind, and I have sometimes orally transcribed streams of naturally aimless wonderings using a speech to text tool on my phone. I would like to share an excerpt of a cursory contemplation I orally transcribed while driving a while back. This excerpt seems to somewhat speak toward the essence of observing random thoughts, letting them be, and allowing them to pass:

  • My mind then started spiraling off into an ambiguous place where I began thinking about the thoughts I was thinking. I was not so much resonating with the actual thoughts that were going on in my mind, but rather thinking about the thoughts that were going on in my mind. I know it's confusing. I can hardly understand it myself. I'm not sure I actually do. I attempt to suppress the thoughts because they seem so meaningless. However, they continue to poke through my consciousness. I cannot escape them. These are the thoughts. The meaningless thoughts. I am no longer thinking about the thoughts I had been thinking, but I am rambling about nothing. These thoughts I think are not considered to be of any value. They're just thoughts I think. That's all. They are an escape from other responsibility. They are an avoidance of other thoughts I think I should be thinking. But then I think, maybe this is my responsibility. Maybe the most pressing matter in the moment is the thinking of the thoughts currently in my mind. Think them, and when you are done thinking them, let them go.

• This concludes the excerpt. I’m not entirely sure of what it meant at the time, and I’m not entirely sure of what it means now, but it felt really right to allow it to flow. This reinforces to me that an instinctively flowing process matters even when the outcome is not understood. Perhaps the process itself is the outcome, or perhaps there is no outcome at all. Maybe it’s a reminder to the outcome-oriented dimension of my mind that there’s no need to produce a cognitive outcome at a time when my mind is merely being.

• In terms of honoring and acting on subtle inspirations that may surface while driving by myself, one of the most profound, immediately actionable, and rewarding inspirations I can remember feeling was during a solitary drive home from a monthly meeting that was a couple hours out of town. As I left the meeting, I began sensing an urge to make an impromptu stop at my grandpa’s lake cabin, which was around halfway between the location of my meeting and my home. As the turn approached, I debated continuing my course home or making the turn for a surprise visit. I was tired and considered going home to lay on the couch for my lunch break, but my grandpa’s cabin was only a few miles off the main highway and the urge to visit him was persistently intensifying. It’s as if a powerful magnet was attracting me to the cabin and no matter how tired I was or how much my mind tried to justify going straight home, I accepted that not stopping was not an option so I eagerly made the turn. As I turned toward the cabin, a tranquil state instantly ensued. Something about that turn opened my perceptions to life beyond the busy-ness of the world, and my worries of the day quickly erased. When I arrived at the cabin, I was immediately comforted by the warmth of my grandpa’s genuine expression of appreciation for my visit, as well as the authenticity of his other words, emotions, and mannerisms during our time together. Although it was unknown to me then, honoring and acting on the inspiration to make a spontaneous stop provided me with an opportunity to spend a few quality moments with my grandpa in months before he passed away.

• Although these anecdotes are presented in the context of driving on an open road, I have encountered similar experiences in an array of other solitary settings.

Gratitude Statement

I am immeasurably grateful for:

• having been able to connect with the vast wonders of the external world and my internal self through solitary spaces and will attempt to remain aware of opportunities to embrace moments of aloneness that are conducive for further exploring the richness of existence within and beyond my core being.

Guiding Questions

Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse:

• It's there when you're on the Open road without another soul in sight

Take a moment to reflect on:

• times of solitude when you have allowed yourself to connect at a deeper level with the vast wonders of your internal self or the external world.

For example:

• What is an example of a time when you were driving alone or were in another solitary space where you paid attention to the beauty of your internal self or the external world?

• What are examples of the physical beauty that surrounded you, the types of thoughts you observed nonjudgmentally, or the subtle inspirations you acted upon?

• How do you feel when you are alone and allow yourself to perceive the beauty within and beyond you?

• In what ways do you express gratitude for opportunities to be alone and establish deeper connections with your internal self or the external world?

• What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of opportunities to embrace internal and external beauties as they surface through solitary spaces?

Closing Statement

In closing:

• when you are on the open road or in another solitary space and realize the existence of God within and beyond your inner self, you receive a Dose of God.

Next Episode

The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter:

• P

• It's in the energy of a Party when out with friends on a city night.

Positive Vibes

Thank you so much for listening. May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the Doses of God that are ever-presently here for you.