There was the gentle sound of wind chimes.

I was on my balcony at the back of my house, and heard them in the distance.

The delicate tones, unpredictable and sweet.

Their lightness, and their meditative quality.

Aaaaaah….

It was a perfect match for my peaceful state of mind.

Like a beautifully-composed musical score.

But I didn’t really hear soothing chimes.

The feeling of peacefulness was not caused by them.

I was merely having an experience that was very personal, very enticing, but also incredibly random.

Chimes are not just chimes.

They can induce any kind of experience.

They have also messed me up many times.

They have made me really nervous and frustrated on many occasions.

I’ve tried to fall asleep and couldn’t because of those fuckers.

And I’ve gently dozed off while surrendering to them.

Chimes are not things that cause specific emotions.

Chimes are part of an experience (just like everything else).

Part of a story, a slice of life that feels very real.

And in that story, they can make us feel happy AND sad.

Very much at peace, but also totally annoyed.

That’s because we don’t get happy or sad because of things, but because of stories about the things, of momentary mental interpretations, of our imagination that pretends to be life and creates deep and engaging experiences.

Wind chimes can be totally amazing.

And they can also be utterly disturbing.

But they are not to blame.

There’s nothing to blame.

I am just telling you how it works.

And you’ll be fooled by it anyway.

You can know EXACTLY how it comes about and still be totally lost in the unfolding.

Just like I was this afternoon, with the chimes.

Life is constantly made up, WE are constantly made up.

Isn’t it amazing?

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(Photo by @djdave238, fur Unsplash)