Sleep deprived ramblings

I am currently suffering from an acute bout of insomnia and that might explain what I am about to write; bear with me! The lack of sleep comes and goes and is highly frustrating. The brain wants to remain active despite the body's protestations at craving some rest.

I went on another date last night, it went well. He was a really nice bloke and we had a giggle (at my expense) as I teetered around on wet, cobbled streets in my crazy work heels. He must have thought I am a bit of a loony but we finally managed to find a cool little pub with some good food despite walking around for 40 minutes in a gale.
During our conversation we touched upon Buddhism and inner peace. Good first date conversation centre piece? It really was quite enlightening. It put me in mind of a book I read a few months back called 'The Power Of Now' by German author Eckhart Tolle. The upshot of it is that we have no control on what has happened and cannot fully predict the future so the premise is 'live for now.' My own interpretation of the book was that we don't spend enough time just 'being.' Our minds can be our worst enemy and it is too easy to get caught up in the trappings of everyday life, caught up in a sea of complicated emotions and feelings that need to be stripped back once in a while. 
I guess it has some tantric elements to it but I did attempt the exercises the author so eloquently outlined. Essentially I would class these as meditation but sitting quietly, clearing your mind of thought and focusing on the living organism that you are really is liberating. It does take some practice and requires an environment with no stimuli so you can fully focus.

There are so many beautiful things that surround us; burning red sunsets, wispy, candy floss like cloud. I feel we ignore these aspects of life as they can get submerged in the quagmire of day to day living. By losing touch with ourselves we have lost the inherent ability to simply exist and be aware of our connection with this planet and all those species we share it with. Whimsical ? Perhaps but it really has hit a nerve with me.

I would not say I am spiritual in the traditional sense but I have a passion for all things natural. Weather, geology and astronomy knit very closely in my world. Paganism has some meaning to me although I remain largely agnostic. 

Anyhow I won't get too bogged down with this but I highly recommend allowing yourself some time to relax, clear your head and enjoy just 'being.'

It is liberating, cathartic and we all deserve a break from our minds once in a while. The mind can be the most destructive element to our lives, torture can be borne out of intellect and something so powerful needs to have constraints.

Rainy xxx