Be still... and see butterflies

This was a rare Sunday where I was absolutely free. No workshop, no training, no appointments. Just me and one whole day in which I can do anything at all.

I decided to take our new puppy Magnolia down to run around in the garden. She's been sick and we've been keeping upstairs on the balcony. Now that she's recovered, she's so frisky and needs to run.

So we went down and I saw Dad sunbathing. Must be his mat-salleh blood! I sat next to him while Magnolia ran and ran laps around the garden. Bandit (who is now unwell) was hiding under a car, totally ignoring the boisterous youngster.

I woke up with a bad headache - been hurting for the past few days. But after some time in the sun, it faded away. And dad said his skin problem also fades if he spends time in the sun. Then we moaned about how we spend too much time in air-conditioned places and not enough time doing things in the sun.

After a while, he went up. I stayed down to allow Magnolia to get familiar with the garden - no way is she going to be an in-house dog.

The longer I sat, the more I noticed. At first, I was so aware of my sweat, the mosquitoes, the bugs buzzing around me, sticking to my sweaty skin.

Then as I sat there too lazy to move, I started to notice the butterflies planting kisses on flowers. As my eyes followed their flight, I saw red dragonflies, three of them, hovering above the fish pond. A movement on the grass caught my eye - I turned and saw two mynah birds walking and plucking goodness knows what from the grass. Then farther away, a small brown squirrel jumped down from a tree branch and scampered past.

It was a moment of perfect peace, where I was in perfect harmony with nature.

As I write this, a pigeon just fluttered by, and John Lennon's 'Imagine' just came on over the Astro Nostalgia channel mom was listening to upstairs. What a beautiful Sunday...

There is something so magical, so incredibly soothing and uplifting to just sit still... and allow my eyes to flit with a butterfly. Or follow a bird. Oh the squirrel just made a brief appearance. And Magnolia has followed Bandit's example and gone to snooze under a car.

I remember in training, we always say that when you're going through a tough time with inner conflict and lots of noises in your head (big time mm!), just focus out. Focus on people and the world around you. Look for the beauty and appreciate it in your surroundings.

This morning I realised that when I focussed on the butterflies, I forgot about the sweat, the bugs and mosquitoes. They're still there but I'm not fretting cos I'm so caught up in the joyful flight of butterflies.

I remember my teachers saying "wherever your attention goes, energy follows" So if I am focussed on my sweat and the bugs, I energise and magnify the discomfort. But when I pay attention to the butterflies, I energise the beauty and godliness of the world around me. My own discomfort fades from lack of energy. Beautiful ...

Happy Sunday to you, and may you focus on the 'butterflies' around you all day!