• Calmness, rocks and things people talk about.

    Posted on July 22nd, 2011 by and currently 7 commenting.


    I have this tiny rock that I keep with me to remind myself to stay calm.

    One of my roles at Brains on Fire is to stay calm. Not always perfect at it, but I try. I think it’s the role of anyone who finds themselves needing to lead. (accidental or otherwise). Everyone wants calm. Even during exciting times.

    We follow it like magic fairy dust.

    The other day I splurged on a bottle of really good Lavender oil which I put on the bathroom sink counter. While I was getting ready for bed, I accidently knocked it over and the glass bottle hit the ceramic tile. Lavender oil went everywhere. It was a mess. And It was amazing and intoxicating. I smiled and slowing began cleaning it up.

    When I hit the sheets, I tweeted this remark:

    Spilled an entire bottle of lavender oil on the bathroom floor — if you don’t hear from me in a while, I’ve overdosed on calm.

    It was perhaps one of the most re-tweeted remark I’ve ever made. Funny, huh — and more proof we are looking for calm. We follow it. We talk about it.

    We’d like to OD on it.

    The next day, I was cleaning out my email box and found this letter (can we still call them letters if they arrive by email?) from a very wise and wonderful friend. It is a set of words I think of often when I am searching for calm. Both professionally and personally, so I’ll share:

    Nature works, you can’t argue with it. If a boulder falls into the middle of a stream, the stream immediately goes around and continues it’s path. It doesn’t stop and look around or stomp it’s feet and whine or call it’s friends and say “can you believe this rock?” It just continues…

    How do you keep your cool when the world around you is going mad? How do you lead with calmness?

    Happy Friday! Make it the best day ever! And most of all stay calm.

  • http://YourBlogAngel.com Your Blog Angel

    Hi Robbin,

    I loved this post, especially your tweet…overdosed on calm…brilliant!

    I recently listened to True Meditation by Adyashanti and loved his teaching about letting go and accepting what is.  Many teachers teach it but something about his description landed.

    Just closing my eyes and saying….life is unfolding itself perfectly with or without my help….. makes me smile.

    No accident that lavender and other oils are like fairy dust.  The part of the brain that registers aroma also flips you into fight or flight.  The calmness you get from the lavender is a real tangible thing.

    Yay!

    Thanks again!

    Love,
    Catherine
    http://YourBlogAngel.com

  • Linda Della Donna

    Incredible. I have this same rock.

    Linda Della Donna
    Author of
    “A Gift of Love, A Widow’s Memoir”

  • http://www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    After I was done berating myself for my stupidity (because I am sure I was doing five things at once, which led to this wonderful situation), I would have turned on a fan and permeated my abode with the aroma, poured a glass of wine, reclined in bed, and just zone out with a good book.

  • Robbin

    It was amazing! Still smells great.

  • http://www.abundatrade.com Tracy Geier

    I found a rock similar to yours when my friends and I found ourselves lost in the woods in a park in Maine. We followed a dried up riverbed out to the nearest road and the heart-shaped rock from that riverbed has come with me ever since as I knew it meant I would soon find my soul mate.  Less than a year later I had found him and we’ve been together 10 years now.  

    My friends still tease me for getting them lost, but that longer-than-expected walk through the peaceful, shady woods with my two best friends led to fond memories and eventually my hubby.  Nature just wanted us to slow down a bit that day, I believe. 

    I love the “nature works” quote about just continuing on rather than stopping to gripe about the little things.    

  • Zane Safrit

    How do I keep calm?

    Get up early. Starts the day right everytime and by noon I’ve accomplished so much more that I’m too busy smiling and just too busy to …join every battle I’m invited to join.

    Don’t join every battle I’m invited to join. Very tempting sometimes…

    Surround myself with positive, healthy, honest folks. We’re gettin’ there.

    Deal with it and move on. Still mastering this one.

    Feed the mind the right stuff: inspiring, helpful, fun/funny, informative, well-written.

    Go to bed early. It’ll all be there tomorrow, I think. Hopefully a little bit less of that and a little bit more of this.

  • Robbin

    Great List Zane. Thanks for sharing. I am an early to bed — early to rise sort of person myself!