Now and Zen

Strange things are happening. By strange, I’m not implying they’re unpleasant; in fact it is quite the opposite.

I took up fly fishing to get me out of the stresses and pressure of my work life. I am the Change Management and Escalations Manager for a multi-national video collaboration company, so the aforementioned stresses are considerable. I saw fly fishing as a means by which I could escape for a few hours and remove myself from deadlines and duties, customers and their crises, and in general, the constant pressure to perform under every adverse condition you can imagine. I’m happy to say that it is working as intended. But more than this, it has had a profound effect on how I see and approach things, not just in the workplace, but in all aspects of life.

I still face the pressures of work head on; the issues are important to be sure, but they can and will be dealt with and the world will continue to turn. Deadlines can still be met and emergencies can still be addressed but they no longer spell impending doom. I have developed a much healthier perspective.

The change at work, though, is just a small part of what is happening.

I have always had a love for nature, but all my life I’ve been pretty much a city boy. Born in Glasgow, growing up in Hamilton, working in Toronto, I have been immersed in the concrete jungle life. It hasn’t been all bad; cities offer a wide range of entertainment and activity, and they can be positively electric at times, but I have always been more in tune with the rural life, with the peace and quiet that the countryside offers. I just haven’t been able to indulge those desires often enough.

Now, though, I’m getting a chance to get away from the paved, manufactured surroundings of urbanity. Now I’m surrounded by forests, rivers and wide open skies. Wildlife is no longer limited to pigeons and squirrels. I’m looking at a more diverse fauna, including eagles, cranes, pine martens and deer. But it isn’t even this influx of nature that is the most profound change.

I’m looking at life from a completely different perspective. I’m more introspective now. Not introverted, I’m still very much the social animal I was, perhaps even more so now, but I am definitely seeing things very differently. It is as if I’ve been given an insight to the aspects of life, and it has been extremely thought provoking.

I’m not saying that I’m delving into the philosophy or meaning of existence. Far from it. I’m just gaining an appreciation of, well, pretty much everything. With no man made distractions I’m thinking about everything from the animated interactions of the wildlife to the geological process that created the canyon-like valley that surrounds me.

And the sounds, the sounds are amazing. A symphony of birds calling, the wind whispering, leaves rustling and rushing rivers, yet despite the cacophony, you can pick out the faintest whisper of a distant bird call or subtle splash of a beaver diving into the water, adding another element to the musical score. You are truly in tune with your surroundings, no pun intended. You become one part of the performance.

It is easy to become lost in thought when you are immersed in this, it lends itself to deep though and philosophical pondering, and that is why I think of this as a Zen like experience. Everything, including myself has its place. Accept and appreciate your own.

I think that should be my new mantra.