Unwinding

From the Stone Tarot, the Four of Swords; from the Buddhist Quote Cards, Dhammapada 23:331 :

 I have to let go; I opened my hands. Free

in this dark land, I drift, memories

unwinding like thread.

~Alison Stone

We had supercell storms with multiple tornadoes in the Southeast late yesterday. After the hurricane and flooding we endured, I have a case of PTSD; the emergency weather sirens and alerts going off every quarter hour for hours on end made me feel like I was becoming unmoored. I finally shut off the TV and muted my phone and meditated. It wasn't so much a spiritual practice as it was an attempt to slow down and quiet the tornado in my mind. In the words of Joan D. Oliver, "Beyond the internal mess is clear space, a clear mind." The quote from the Dhammapada reads:

Happiness is having friends when need arises.

Happiness is contentment with whatever there is.

Two blessings of life are having friends (knowing we are cared for gives us strength) and the ability to be content in any circumstance. The second requires inner work. Contentment only comes when I stay present in the moment, and when I am able to "cherish neither for nor against" so I don't have to suffer the "disease of the mind" (as Seng T'san wrote). It seems a paradox, but resting the mind can take some effort.