9/18/2020 10:30a.m – 11:30 a.m. temperature around 26 degrees with the blazing sun in the air

 

I am sitting in my front yard on a cemented slab in front of the big guava tree. It’s still summer here in Nepal, hence the glaring sun illuminating my face.  I chose this place because it is right in front of my house, thus easy to access amidst the COVID situation. As I sat there, the wind swiftly passed by me making its reach towards the guava tree. But the wind was soon gone drying the sweat from my forehead and letting the sun to again penetrate its rays through my skin.  I looked around the place and felt strange about it even though I pass through space every day.

I chose this particular spot because from here I can see the guava tree. The guavas are not ripped properly yet but soon they will be. The small birds (I think sparrow) keep coming in and out of the tree. They like to pluck the black attached part. I have a thin rose plan right next to me. The smell of its filling the whole space. To the south, I have a huge Asian tomato tree planted by my mom. My mom has managed to keep all the plants and grass green. The leaves from the guava keep shredding one or two leaves in the ground- a spot I find perfect to read. The front yard isn’t big enough to roam around finding different plants and insect species but it’s nice to know that even within a small space of my front yard, my mom has managed to plant different kinds of flowers, trees, and vegetables. We have aloe vera, to mint leaves planted to the small space allocated for the vegetable garden. In the same space is the Asian tomato (on the south) I mentioned earlier.

I didn’t see any animals, but I did see a ladybug crawling in my arms while I was practicing mindfulness by closing my eyes. I usually panic seeing any insects but at that time I didn’t even though it was crawling in my arms, to which I thought maybe this is mindfulness. With the sun blazing hot in the air I felt rejuvenated as if the sun was pouring all its energy onto me. With all the energy, my senses became more lucid. I could hear the chirping of birds near the guava tree to the distant barking of dogs. My nose could smell the mixed scent of guavas, roses, and damp sand. I squinted up in the air and could see crows flying. The sun soon started penetrating deep in my eyes blackening the view for a couple seconds. When my view got back, I went ahead to look at the bark of the tree meticulously. I could see a hole right in the center. I wonder if it was from a woodpecker.

While I was practicing mindfulness by sitting there with my eyes closed, I felt a sense of gratitude for being where I was. I was feeling fresh like coming out of shower amidst all the smell and sounds of nature. I went deep inside my own thought. I felt myself in a different place- somewhere in the dense jungle where you can smell the damp forest and untouched sand. I have never let myself go deep in my own thought, but these fifteen minutes of short mindfulness definitely gave me a reason to practice silence/meditation.  The aftermath even though it is only for a fleeting moment makes you feel great.

Next time, I would like to go at different times and examine if the birds are playing around the guava trees or not. I would like to see if the sounds remain similar or louder. Can the same place provide different ambiance because of the difference in time? So many questions were coming in my mind, but as I stood (the sun was not cooperating at all) I could only feel grateful for the place I was standing in at the moment. The place which never received my second glance was suddenly making me feel good.