philosophic

Life is an ocean

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

Imagine life is an ocean and think about it.

I did when I was in a very hectic period of my life. A lot of things changed at once (I just moved to another country, had a baby, bought a house, my girl friend is expecting again, insecure about work). I felt worried, but at the same time I had this undefined relaxed comfortable ‘ground’ feeling. Almost conflicting compared to how I felt.

While mountain biking I had to think about the ocean and that made things much clearer for me.

The upper stream is the hectic and the worries. It is looking at the waves, the foam, hearing and seeing the wind blow. Looking at the other waves is also some kind of competitiveness. Trying to be bigger and longer.

It is also some kind of conforming. What do others do, what do others say. I see the eyes and hear them thinking: At his age, all this big steps. Probably my perception, but still….

And there’s the ocean current. Going under water there’s the silence. Complete rest compared to the upper stream. Here’s the stream deep below, the base rhythm. It is necessary for the world climate. Without it earth would freeze or heat up.

In my comparison, I call this the current of life.
Determining the climate of life
The bigger purpose;
the rest is distraction.

21931498_700x700min_1The more I can get in touch with this, the more relaxed I become. Things will move in the right direction. I can’t change it and what comes on my way, I have to deal with when it comes. Not before.
It isn’t easy, but I am trying

It feels like staying under water for a long time, but at one point you have to go to the surface to breath. It made me think of the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind, with the baby under water.

Baby’s in the womb can breath under water (amniotic). As soon as we’re born we can’t anymore.

So metaphorically speaking, we should learn to breath under water, instead of being in the upper stream of the hectic and distracting waves and foam and wind and noise.

Not only to get in touch with the current of life, but also teaching us to be more candid, open and curious instead, like children.
No worries.

Shifting Moods

Gerard S. HoffLeave a comment

From the REFORMATION series

It is odd but there are times I am not feeling me. It’s like I am a different person and most of all, a person I don’t like.

It feels like a person with glue on its shoes and it is hard to go forward. Or the feeling of walking through mud, while the mud is sucking on your soles and walking is a drag.

Well, you get my point and those are really the moments I don’t like myself! The ‘funny’ thing is, it takes a while to fully realize it is happening, that I am that dreadful person and when I realize it, it is hard to shift moods.

So I started analysing it and came to the conclusion that it is something or someone that is in me and has the tendency to appear when I’m tired, worried, stressed, and so forth, moments of lower resistance, where this ugly me has the power to manifest.

I have two rituals, starting with becoming aware of the ugly me.

One is sleeping well. Not too long, but enough, like 7 hours. Wake up, think about what’s bugging you and think of all the positive things you have, take a conscious shower and let the heat chase the ugly me away.

The other is a literal shift of mood. Wake up the good ‘you’, think of the ridicule of your behaviour and laugh out loud about it. Just laugh the ugly you away.

Laughing is the best cure I know. I believe it’s not because you’re happy that you’re laughing, I believe it’s because you’re laughing you become happy. Think about that for a while.

Laugh happy;
happy shifting.

Shifting Moods is part of the Reformation series.
Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result