In my first novel, When Men Betray,( hopefully to be available very soon,) the principal character Jack talks about his “shower thoughts” claiming he does his best thinking in the shower, and it’s not a new concept that people have their best ideas while relaxing. In England, they talk about the “three B’s” where the greatest scientific discoveries are made – the bed, the bath, and the bus. So when I was writing about “shower thoughts” I found myself wondering why the best ideas seem to come at our most relaxed moments.
Perhaps, it is because you can’t reason your way to stillness. You cannot just decide to be still. Our bodies carry so much habitual and residual tension within them our intelligence is confused by all the noise. Part of that tension is a result of the emotions and ideas that haven’t been integrated in your being. It is the same with emotions. To survive, sometimes we put our emotions on hold for decades before we are strong enough to integrate them into the whole of our being. The tension, the emotions, the ideas remain preventing stillness.
Suzy used to joke and say, “relax, dammit,” knowing I would immediately tense up. Thus it is incumbent on each of us to find that place where we are so comfortable, so at ease, that all of the white noise soaks into our being. For me, I understand the three B’s, especially the bus. For years, I found comfort there, where there was little anywhere else. Readers of some of my early meditations remember my “bus” experiences. Ask yourself, where do you relax, where do you have your best ideas, and go there as often as you can.
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