Joni and I left O’Hare in Chicago at 9:00am this morning, to Board our 787 flight to London. Knock on wood… we have enjoyed very good circumstances so far. Our flight in from St. Louis was less than half full so we boarded early and landed early. Our connection through O’Hare was 8 gates down from where we came in. Our flight to London also left on time and while it is a large group of people, everyone has been polite and well behaved. Joni and I have a 3 seat location with an empty seat between us and we’ve just finished a very tasty breakfast of eggs and potatos, with coffee and a croissant. We just joked that we could get used to travel like this for a few months. It would be like saying I could bike forever after 30 minutes of downhill cruising. 🙂
It IS amazing how comfortable they have made airplane travel. While they don’t allow the leg room that they once did, they do provide some great comforts; movies and music to choose from, pillows, blankets, food, drink (including free beer), headphones, in flight maps to show you exactly where you are. In short they provide all the distractions and sensory desires a human needs for taking your mind off where you are.
As I watch my fellow passengers reach for their favorite distraction, I’m drawn to wonder distractions benefits and shortcomings. Distractions are an interesting process of the human mind. Using one thing to take one’s mind off the present can be beneficial if/when we are experiencing chronic or severe pain. It is a useful tool for a parent to distract a 2 year old when he throws a tantrum – more effective than arguing with them, that’s for sure. As a young man I used to run long distance. On one hand, I learned to settle my mind and body into the rhythm of my stride and my breathing. I would settle my thinking and open to the view around me. Despite this centering experience, there were times when I would be looking for ways to take my mind off of the effort and pain I was experiencing. I would manipulate my experience in a way that would make the distance bearable. The best outings were the ones where I was relaxed and open and didn’t “try” (or need to distract) so much. While I didn’t realize it at the time, the sweet spot was simply to relax and let be in the expanse of the experience open in front of me.
The passengers on this flight (including myself) are in a stressful situation. We don’t want to think about the discomfort we are feeling or the possibility that we won’t make it to our destination at all. We are cramped in a tight space with a large number of strangers, with different customs, different language and different colored skin than our own. Rather than contemplate these unsavory details most of us look for outlets. I say most because I believe there are people (I’d call them “realized”) who don’t require or desire distraction.
This exceptional person remains open to the experience, settled in his/her breath, appreciating the present moment without need for an “escape”. Some may doubt that this person really exists but I have had the good fortune to meet people who have this presence of mind. I can’t say that it is an obvious feature; something that is easily detected. I can’t say that I can see into their experience either. All I can say is that I have felt some sense of this presence in myself when I sit with them for a time. They don’t have to sit perfectly still or quiet for this to arise. They are intelligent, articulate, even busy people. But as they move about and talk they simply exude this confidence and grace. I feel this when I see the Dalai Lama and with my meditation teacher Tsoknyi Rimpoche.
As I sit here and contemplate my day, my pending arrival in London, my journey to Nepal, I want to remember this way of being. Paradoxically, I desire to find a gap in my desires.