Living in the Now with Non-Effort

Where the sea is calm
At the dock
A little red and green boat
Ripple waves gently lap against its planks 
The sound of the sea gulls
In the stillness, pausing
Smelling the beach, the kelp
Gentle cool breeze
Living the moment
In the now

acrylic on panel    24"x 36" ( a painting I did in 2006 ) At the dock

One of my first realizations in retirement, was that there is no reason to be in a hurry. I was at the grocery store and the store check out line was moving at a slow pace. Then I had one of those moments of clarity,  I said to myself, why should I care, where am I going, there is no hurry, enjoy the moment.

There is something in us, in our culture that causes a tension. We are not content with this moment, we always want to be in the next moment. We cannot accept what is, there needs to be something more to make us complete and happy. Why is that?

So, I make a choice to deliberately slow down and accept what is, here, now. I move in cycles of doing and non-doing, according to spontaneity, not according to a plan. It is action without stress, forcing, striving or busyness.  It is natures way. Nature does not hurry yet everything is  accomplished. Everything gets done in what appears from my observation, as a meditation in motion, where there is an effortless action without the concern of outcome. In motion meditation you are not lost in thought, when walking there is a concentration on each step; you practice awareness of steps, breath, sounds, the wind against your face and the feel of sunshine on your skin. You enjoy what is, what is before you, without unnecessary labels, without judging it as right or wrong, beautiful or ugly and without the usual mind chatter. This is freedom from thought, no concern about past or future, it lasts for as long as you can live in the "Now".

 Tao Te Ching Ch 43

The gentlest thing in the world
overcomes the hardest thing in the world.
That which has no substance
enters where there is no space.
This shows the value of non-action.
Teaching without words,
performing without actions:
that is the Master's way.

The whole concept of non-action or non-effort in Taoism is fascinating. Effort implies a stressing  or straining to reach a certain point in a future moment, it is trying to accomplish a certain goal.  I was observing life in my backyard today; squirrels, birds, and insects are all busy but it is action without concern for outcome. They are not stressing or straining.They have no concept of reward, no thought of tomorrow, they have no memories of past, they are just living in the moment. When there is no thought of reward for action, everything gets accomplished.

Nature has so much to teach us, without words and without force. The gentle spirit all around us works through non-effort and it can flow and penetrate into our hardened hearts if we can open up a little space for new perceptions. In this way the gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in the world, the closed human heart. That which has no form/no substance, by non-action, can enter where there was previously no space and it can transform our whole life.