Stopping the mental chatter and the jumbled mind
There’s a drawing that floats around social media from time to time about the two stick characters chatting and one says, “What the hell is that?” The other character answers back, “It’s just my mind.” Have you seen it? Really, it’s an illustration of mental chatter and the jumbled mind.
I would copy/paste the image here, but I love properly crediting the artist and I couldn’t find the original source.
Before I started to meditate, that’s what my mind looked like. And after a decade of meditating, it might be just a little less jumbled than that image. Since there is already so much out there on the subject of meditation and its benefits, I thought I’d share a short story illustrating what it can do for the mind.*
And well, maybe it has a little literary twist.
I met him at the cafe
I thought it would be just a meeting to catch up like old times. I had no idea what Leif would do to me.
I’d met him at the cafe. I hadn’t seen him in nearly a decade and I’d heard he’d been traveling in Thailand. He’d probably have some interesting stories to tell.
“Leif!” I called when I entered the cafe. He rose from his table to greet me.
“Jack! It’s great to see you. Have a seat.”
He wore a denim jacket over a t-shirt. His faded jeans looked like they’d been washed hundreds of times. His hair was longer than the last time I’d seen him and his face was scruffier, but otherwise he looked the same.
He’d taken the liberty to order me a coffee and thankfully hadn’t added any sugar or cream. I noticed that he was drinking green tea.
Travel stories
We began chatting and Leif told me of his stories of travel through rural Indonesia and Thailand. He mentioned that he ran out of money at one point and ended up working at a monastery for a while to save enough to come back home. He enjoyed the simple lifestyle so much that he decided to stay for nearly ten years!
His stories touched on helping nameless kids in the streets, and making food for the tiny community in which he’d found himself. He even poked a little fun at his language mistakes in Thai.
He turned to me after the broad update of his life. “What have you been doing with yourself?”
I shrugged. “I’ve never quite found my calling. Right now, I’m sort of just doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”
Leif’s face grew pensive. Silent. For a moment I wondered if he was still conscious. “You have a lot of mind chatter,” he finally said.
I blinked. I looked up and away while I processed what he might have meant. “Well, yes, I –”
“No,” he interrupted. “You can’t see your potential. You can’t see past all the noise in your mind to know what you’re really meant to do.”
I could only look at him. My mental chatter had certainly increased during the course of this conversation.
Stopping the mental chatter
What if I told you that all the chatter can stop? What if I told you that you could discover your full potential once you cut through all the muck?”
“I’d say that you’re probably a salesperson. That you’d want to sell me some gimmick.”
“No gimmicks. What I have to give is not for sale.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re saying. I—”
Leif reached over and placed his hand on my forehead. Instinctively I tried to pull away. But only a second or two after I felt his touch, I relaxed. I felt a calming, electric sensation on my brow. I was vaguely aware that the people around us were probably staring. I had no idea what Leif was doing but I wanted to stay put.
I felt the menagerie of words fall to the depths of my mind. They were replaced by a kind of bliss that was all-consuming. Purple and blue flashes of light zig-zagged across my consciousness.
I don’t know how long Leif had had his hand on my head, but he gently began to pull away. I wanted more and I wanted to stay there. In that place of contentment. I didn’t even know what that place was, but I’d never felt anything like it.
Still, Leif pulled away. My eyes were closed and for a moment I stood there, with nothing moving except the expansion and contraction of my lungs as I breathed. I opened my eyes and stared at him.
What did you do to me?
“What did you do to me?” I asked. It wasn’t an accusation. I smiled at him, wanting to know how he’d cut through all those thoughts.
“I merely showed your brain how to stop all those bouncing words that happen every second. It’s what allows you to ‘see’.”
For the first time in my life, my mind was blank. I gazed out the window to take in this feeling and looked back at Leif.
He continued, “This – what you’re experiencing – won’t last long. But you will find that if you ask your biggest questions right now, you’ll find the answers.”
I closed my eyes. I didn’t tell Leif what question I had. My question just appeared in my mind. A few moments later, emerging from my mind’s dark abyss, an answer emerged. It was clear, as if I’d known it all along.
“You have known the answers all along. You just needed to be shown how,” Leif said, as if he’d read my last thought.
I know what I have to do
Shaking my head side to side, I took in a deep breath. I wasn’t exactly sure what Leif had showed me, but the sudden realization of what I had to do instilled a fire of urgency in me. It was a peaceful feeling, however.
I realized at once how short life really is and that we have less time than we think to get things done. I closed my eyes again and envisioned myself following through on long-forgotten dreams and hopes.
When I opened my eyes, Leif was gone. I looked around, expecting to see him at the counter ordering another cup of tea. Perhaps he’d excused himself to the restroom. I waited. Five minutes. Then ten minutes. After twenty minutes I knew he wasn’t coming back. It didn’t matter. I knew what I had to do.
*Friends, I have been writing these flash fiction / micro fiction stories for awhile. My thought behind these (besides the creative fun in doing these) is that there are so many non-fiction articles about meditation and mindfulness out there.
These stories are my antidote to that. Do you like them? Do you want to see more/less/the same amount of them? Please let me know in the comments. 🙂
Lil Sis, I love your flash fictions. I just wish I wasn’t so wordy and I can write them. lol Seriously, I’m with you on this. For me it was a matter of letting go. My mind relaxed and I found peace once I came to realize that I am not in control of the universe and never will be. There is only so much I can do, and I’m fine with that. As much as I would like to solve everyone’s problems, I am incapable of doing that. I am in a quiet spot mentally and emotionally now, and I love that spot.
Sending hugs to my favorite Little Sis!
Big Bro, that means a lot to me coming from you. I consider you to be a master writer. It’s okay to be wordy – you’re a novelist. I am figuring out that my strengths are with shorter pieces, rather than longer works of writing. Perhaps that will change someday and I’ll get “the best idea, ever” for a story, but in the meantime, I love writing these. 🙂 And realizing that we’re not in control and just letting it be? That right there is so powerful. And yes, there is only so much I can do. The older I get the more comfortable I am in accepting that fact. I’m like you, in that as much as I would like to solve everyone’s problems, it’s better just to focus on my little portion of the world. And it’s a good place to be. Sending hugs back and thank you so much for your wisdom.
Hi Cynthia…
Flash Fiction has found a home at your fingertips… well done and I think all of us can say we have minds that chase inner minds in circles. Nature has been one of the greatest cleansers for me. It is there I can totally clear my mind, body and soul.
One of the things I have come to love is that absolute peace and quiet of the night when very little can be heard. It is hard to keep a routine sleep schedule when that cup of coffee and keyboard are calling in the quiet of the night…. very well written my friend…
Hugs from Canada
Rolly! It’s so good to see you, friend! Thank you also for saying that flash fiction has found a home here. That means so much to me: having different writers say that. And I completely agree: nature is one of the greatest cleansers. It clears my mind, my heart, and my soul. In fact, we went trail running the other day. I was feeling a little stressed from doing website work. Once I drove out of town and onto the trails, I instantly felt better. I was giggling and laughing within five minutes of hitting the trails. It’s amazing what a little time outside does for you. But of course you would know this. The stories you’ve told and the life you’ve lived is just nothing short of awesome! I love that sound: absolute peace and quiet. I love it when that’s all you hear and it really is so loud. And it’s so comforting. And in the night time when that happens, you’re right, that’s such a neat feeling. Thank you so much for your feedback on my story. I really appreciate it and it tells me that I need to keep this in my repertoire of things that I do. Sending you big hugs!
Great story on mindfulness and quieting that seemingly endless chatter, C!! I like the message and how you delivered it through a fictional story ❤👏
Christy – thank you, Sweet Friend. It’s so great to see you. I hope you have been well, and thank you so much for your feedback on my story. The endless chatter of the mind can drive us all a little nuts, can’t it? I love using the fiction here to deliver the message of mindfulness and meditation. Thank you for making me smile! Sending you hugs and wishes for a wonderful day!
Dear Cynthia,
More please! Your fictional stories always touch a piece of my soul and leave me with a feeling of hopefulness, which
we can surely never have enough of.
Hope you are having a peaceful week.
Love,
Maria
Sweet Mar, hello, friend! Thank you also for your feedback on writing these little stories. I honestly had no idea that people were enjoying them so much. On one hand I enjoy writing them, and I like the challenge of inserting a little message into them, but on the other hand I never knew if they we’re really well received by my readers. And now I know. And it’s such a groovy feeling. I am so glad that when you come here you leave with the feeling of hopefulness and that I have touched you in a positive way. I can’t tell you what that means to me, and how it affirms the work that I strive to do. I also hope you are having a peaceful week. Sending you big bear hugs. xoxo
I’ve had this page open and was waiting for a quiet moment to read it. It was worth the wait. I did not know you wrote flash fiction but please continue. I had no idea I was reading fiction until the end. I wanted to be touched on the forehead too to quiet my mind. You really are quite good at this.
Sweet Marlene – hehe, I’m so glad that you came by for a read. 🙂 Thank you for your feedback about keeping going with the flash fiction. I suppose I’d better if all of the folks who have commented have said that I should. Hehe. That’s really good evidence for continuing. And I’m glad – I really enjoy writing them. The fact that you didn’t know it was fiction – YES! Wow. This is exactly what I am aiming for. Thank you for your sweet words. I hope you’re doing well. Sending big hugs! xoxo -C
Oh MORE MORE MORE Please Cynthia.. I so love your stories, your descriptive way of setting the scene.. I see everything your write so vividly within my own mind.. And it was as if I also had that hand upon my forehead, soothing and calming.. And it really is so simple when our minds are clear, to ask then LISTEN.. and we will find the answers..
Brilliantly done Dear Cynthia.. 🙂 <3
Sue – hehe, thank you. That means so much to me because you are an incredibly imaginative and prolific writer. And the fact that you see them vividly – just what every writer hopes to achieve. 🙂 Listening. Such a powerful skill to hone for ourselves. And when our minds are clear, the insights come. This is what happens to me. Thank you so much! Sending you more hugs.
Yes, Listening is the Key to a quiet mind insights come. <3