Sunday, September 4, 2011

The History of a Moment



I'm refining thoughts about moments, thinking this morning that the first bit of a moment is exciting, the fullness of a moment is sublime, vivid, notable, the waning of any particular moment brings sadness, clinging or the opposite, a definitive pushing off or pushing away.

Does this make any sense? An example: you see a beautiful butterfly - exciting. The butterfly lands on your shoulder - oh man! Sublime. But then it takes off, as it should, leaving behind a longing to have it land once more, or stay longer. A different kind of example: whatever you're cooking is boiling furiously when it was just supposed to simmer - exciting! You grab the red-hot handle of the iron skillet in which the boiling is taking place - vivid and notable, yikes! With superhuman speed you let go of the handle, attend to your hand, possibly cling to ideas about how you wish you could go back five minutes, or maybe you cling to the idea that you're an idiot, why didn't you ... blah blah blah.

It seems like a similar contour, even though the circumstances in which the examples play out are very different from each other.

I'm always saying everything has a lifespan. What I'm thinking about this morning is that even moments have a lifespan of epic transitions. It's no wonder when you get down to the quantum level, all there is is a bunch of vibrating foam. Holy cow. Life truly is in the details!

These moments that make up life, both the infinitely holographic moments as well as the finite experiences, well, these moments deserve my attention. I guess that's why I meditate.

Happy Sunday.

8 comments:

ellen abbott said...

I read somewhere that a moment is 1 1/2 seconds.

Anonymous said...

Intruiging post Reya, as is the last photo. Such a grounded earth lady in the shorts. Taurus perhaps?

Reya Mellicker said...

I bet she is!

steven said...

there are moments that rise above the one great moment and tell all about it and then there are moments that melt like chocolate and have the same short-term oomph of chocolate which i very like even so. i don't know about moments and time. i think they're different descriptions of the world and how we experience it. i hope for and very like the moments that last forever - they call from the beginning of what i know and seem to travel right alongside me. steven

Reya Mellicker said...

Steven.

What would I do without you? YES, and thank you!

Cyndy said...

I like the notion that my whole life is just a moment in the overall relative scheme of things in the world. It makes me feel lucky that I'm able to savor some of the micro-moments and make them seem longer than they actually might be.

Kerry said...

It totally makes sense. I like that second photo: a moment.

Val said...

funny - i was having similar thoughts yesterday as i looked at the monkeys who were looking at me. i love Stevens comment again.x