That dam lake
Call thoughts for what they are
I recently went glamping at an eco-retreat. I stayed in a cute bungalow, outside the bungalow was some decking that overlooked a tranquil lake.
Not long after arriving, I sat on the decking, relaxing in the ambience of birds chirping and leaves swishing in the breeze. Then, I looked over a map of the property.
The map marked out a ‘lake walk’ trail, that true to its name, went around the lake. So I decided to go for a walk and follow it.
As I got to the far side of the lake from my bungalow, looking right and back across to the bungalow was the lake. To my left, I was looking down a rather unnatural 30-metre-high hillside.
Things were not as they appeared to be from the decking. This lake was a dam.
Technically, it's still a lake, but calling a lake a dam doesn’t sound very eco-retreat-esque, so it was called a lake.
The thing is, we employ these sorts of techniques on ourselves all the time.
For instance, just as the lake was a dam in reality, thoughts of the past and future are only reality in our minds.
As much as your thoughts are your current reality, that does not make them reality. The past is a malleable memory, and we cannot know the future.
Whilst it’s (kind of) OK to label a dam as a lake in an eco-retreat, as that gives a better perception, it’s important to see your thoughts for what they are. Reviewing the past or projecting the future is fine done mindfully with intent (i.e. for learning or planning) but if you find yourself distracted by thoughts on the past or future, recognise and label this for what it is, then return to being present in the moment.
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Cover image: Photo by me in Coweramup, Western Australia
Thank you for this insightful post! It makes me think we can do the same for ourselves—take a walk inside our minds and check if our thoughts are a "lake" or the "dam."