Quieting the Static

I recently completed building a tiny platform out of leftover pavers from prior projects in the wooded portion of the backyard.  I built it to use it as an outdoor meditation area; a place to give me a different experience in my practice.  I've used it twice this week to sit and for sure, it does present a different experience.

Inside, my space is in half of the room that also holds my home office, presenting a kind of serious juxtaposition within a room.  Although the concept of a room with two very different purposes has been useful in its own way.  My space in that room offers me a very peaceful and quiet place to sit and meditate.  My mind, noisy as usual, usually finds the ability to quiet down fairly well now.  The absence of most noise helps considerable.

My outdoor space presents quite a contrast.  I have never heard the local birds to make quite the sounds they do; almost tropical in nature.  Multiple landscapers are busy cutting local grass as they work to stay ahead of nature's desire to cover the earth with grass and plants.  Is Thursday a garbage pick up day in the neighborhood across the way?  Evidently, yes it is.  The drone of trucks as they fly down Route 206 in their effort to get to Point B.

And while my first reaction was noting how loud it is, I quickly realized that this cacophony is analogous to the constant noise in my mind.  Lets just sit with it and focus on the object of meditation (although I needed to select a different one as I could not hear my breath!).  Let go of all around us.  Calm the mind.  Don't attach to the constant static.