Swimming In the Deep

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“The inner life of any great thing will be incomprehensible to me until I develop and deepen an inner life of my own.” – Parker J. Palmer

This weekend my friend Eric told me a story about a course that he took in college. He went to one of the Claremont Colleges in the mid-1980’s and this sounds like something that might have only been possible in that place and time.

The course was called Mind, Culture and Sports and it was held at the professor’s house, usually with drinks served and the professor encouraged everyone to take it pass/fail. The course content varied greatly – one week it might be a study of how hard it was to hit a baseball and the next week it was about meditation.

One weekend their field trip for this class was to spend a night at a Buddhist monastery. With great interest I asked how that went and Eric replied that he was terrible at mediation. Apparently the monk kept coming by to (gently) correct his posture. But, Eric brightened considerably when he reported that he was great at “sweep the path,” the chore he was assigned at the monastery.

It made me reflect on what we get out of our experiences. I’d have probably missed the whole point of a meditation retreat when I was 19 years old as well. But in contrast, can I name what I get out of meditation now?

If I didn’t meditate, I’d spend the day operating from my to-do list and getting a great deal done but swimming on the surface of the lake where the conditions of the weather affect the choppiness of the water a great deal.

By meditating, it feels like I spend at least a few minutes submerged in the deep. It’s where the quiet allows me both to read about and hear the bigger forces at work – the thread of the Divine in my life, find the echo of Love and Beauty in what I’m doing and touch the feeling of Peace that pervades regardless of the surface conditions.

I was also in college and about 19 years old, the same age as Eric when he took his college course, when someone who was trying to recruit students for the Church of Scientology stopped me on University Avenue and asked me “What about your life do you not want anyone to know?” At age 19, I was still blissfully naïve, untroubled and pretty uncomplicated. Perplexed by the question, I replied, “Nothing?”

Now, 33 years later, I’d answer a lot more assuredly “Nothing. Because after all those years I spent thrashing about on the surface, I’m finally submerged in the deep.”

(featured photo by Pexels)

15 thoughts on “Swimming In the Deep”

  1. I’m not quite submerged in the deep just yet but working on it especially after a morning of going through a scrap book of letters and cards from my 2 children in the 1980’s and 90’s.

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  2. Pingback: Swimming In the Deep — Surprised By Joy – Musings and Wonderings

  3. This line resonates, “swimming on the surface of the lake where the conditions of the weather affect the choppiness of the water a great deal.” This is exactly where we need to be to feel at peace with ourselves, unhindered by the external forces that thrash us about. Very difficult to do, yet fulfilling when we get there. Great thought that I will now think more deeply about.

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  4. Very thoughtfully written, meditation is a great way to disconnect from the noise of the world. I read something this morning that’s very inspirational for submerging into the depths of stillness.

    Silence is essential. We need silence, just as much as we need air, just as much as plants need light. If our minds are crowded with words and thoughts, there is no space for us. Thich Nhat Hanh

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  5. It’s very interesting learning from you about the concept of submerging in the deep. It goes counter to the idea and image of “drowning.” As someone who loves swimming and the ocean, I can see how this is calming and appealing!

    The story you shared about Eric and his college course was also interesting. I sure wish I had such a course when I was in school. That particular experience with the monks sounded really amazing. I would’ve loved to “sweep the path” and could use more of those moments each day.

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    1. That’s what I thought when Eric told me the story. Please let me go to a monastery and sweep the path! 🙂

      I bet you grew up swimming in the South China Sea? Just thinking of those warm waters makes me feel calm!

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      1. Surprisingly, I didn’t really discover and enjoy the Philippines beaches until I was older and went back to visit. Such beautiful and calming beaches back there!

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  7. ‘Submerged in the deep’, how profound it sounds! Again, I am loving your deeply meditative articles, and now I have unearthed the secret-meditation and allowing the waters to calm your senses.
    I am so glad to have chanced upon your blog.

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