E is for Earworm

Several song snippets go through my head as I ponder E words: Each, Every, Ether, Equanimity, Emotions, Earworm. “Each moment is different from any before it. Each moment is different. It’s now.” That comes from an Incredible String Band song, a British progressive folk band from the 1960s.

I hear Van Morrison singing “Everyone,” four syllables repeated over and over. I hear a gospel hymn, “Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart…” And R&B, “Everybody plays the fool sometimes.” I hear Nina Simone singing “Everything must change. Nothing remains the same.”

Dharma Talk

I can feel it. I’m trying to write about the open space that is behind Everything, the space that is always and already there. Then I forget to write. I’m off into the Ether.

I remember a lecture about Equanimity. The metaphor is a small canoe on a lake. A larger boat goes by, and the canoe begins to rock back and forth in the wake of the larger boat. Eventually, the canoe comes back to stillness.

Lived Experience

The same happens with waves of events in our lives, waves of anger, joy, frustration, or bliss. Emotions wash through us. “I second that emotion.” The key is not to get stuck.

My lived experience tells me that the more I meditate, the faster I return to Equanimity. The more I practice returning to the breath when I realize I’ve become captured by my thoughts, the longer I can hold focus.

Each day is different, though. Some days, meditation is deep and relaxing. On other days, I peek at the timer to see how much time is still left. The song snippets come and go. I don’t get stuck in an Earworm today.