Love is in the Air

One of my favorite songs is from the sixties, by the Troggs,

Love is All Around.

I feel it in my fingers

I feel it in my toes

The love that’s all around me

And so the feeling grows

I found this feeling up in Big Sur; I mean I really found it. Something happened to me on August 14, 2014. It’s hard to put into words, but I’ll do my best.

I drove up to Limekiln that morning because it’s my favorite place to hike. I was starting my school job the next day, and I wanted to clear my head, relax, and enjoy nature, before getting back to the grind. There’s nothing like being on a forest trail to get you moving in the right direction.

As soon as I stepped onto the path, I felt the peacefulness of the place. Yet, I also felt my own inner churnings, and so there was a separation between me and the harmony I sensed all around. I walked along breathing in the fresh, wilderness air, hoping to calm my spinning mind. It wasn’t working. I know not to fight these thoughts, because there’s a message hidden in them. I could hear the rambling voice of concern over the job, worry about money not earned during the summer break. I just kept walking along, listening to my mind ramble on and hearing the sound of the creek, and the birds around me.

I hiked for a while and then sat on a bench near a stream. I contemplated life for a time, breathing in and out. There was nothing I needed to do in that moment, so I let my thoughts rest and float away. That’s when peace washed over me, and I became immersed it in. I’ve noticed that when I let things be, everything slows down, and I feel calm and connected. In the forest, in that moment, contentment surfaced.

After a time, the sun moved across the sky, and I knew it was time to head back. Walking along the trail, I saw another path I’d never noticed before. There was still daylight left, so instead of entering the parking lot, I took a turn and followed the creek in a new direction. Within a short period of time, I was in the quiet of the forest again, and I became aware of Something. Silently walking down the trail, the Something became more prominent.

Finally, feeling It so strongly, I stopped walking. I stood still and realized Something was there. I looked up into the trees, thinking I might see It, all the while knowing I wouldn’t. I decided to stop trying to figure it out. To stop thinking, and to just be! And then It powerfully struck me with the gentle force of wonder. Something was all around me. It was in the forest, in the trees, in the air. I stood still letting It float through me; I was like a sponge, soaking It up. I wanted to hug It, to hug Something. I wanted to call out, “I love you!”

I became aware that what I was feeling was Love. I didn’t feel loved, I felt Love itself. I recognized it because of course we’ve all felt it. Yet, I had never felt it like this before. I felt pure Love in all Its wholeness and perfection. I began to wonder if what I was feeling was real, and immediately I felt It floating away. I wanted to reach out and grasp It, but of course, I couldn’t. Had my mind made this experience up? Possibly. What seemed truer was that when my mind was completely quiet, there Love was.

Sometimes after I run on the beach, in the quiet of the morning, standing on the shore, I sense It. Someday, I hope I’ll let everything go in my life; I’ll become so still, that this pure, wondrous Love will completely awaken me.

That day in the forest was the best experience of my life. I became aware of how powerful love is; how much bigger than me, my thoughts, feelings, or perceptions It is. Every day, I practice stopping, quieting and listening. Because I want to remember that what’s important isn’t stuff, it isn’t doing, it isn’t accomplishing. What really matters in life is being in Love. For me, this means taking action with good deeds. Essentially, it’s being open to the opportunities all around me; to be kind to others and to myself too.