Want to Achieve Zen? You Need to Find Your Lantern!
In the freezing cold, hundreds of lanterns could be seen flying over Spanish Banks in celebration of Chinese Near Year.
What I found most fascinating weren't necessarily the lanterns themselves but the hopeful faces illuminated on the pitch black beach. During our day-to-day lives we get used to maintaining a facade or character - we're worrying about how we look, how we sound, our problems, our relationships, our goals and the list goes on. All of this seemed to fall apart when we take on an arbitrary task like nursing a flame in hopes of sending a lantern to the heavens. Instead of playing the role of a lawyer, student, artist or accountant, people were simply people, living in the moment with no regard for the past or future.
If only for a brief moment, nothing mattered more than getting that lantern in the sky. We rarely experience such a level of clarity during our days and it's important to find something that resets you in this way. The specific activity isn't necessarily important but it has to involve some form of action that removes you from your usual thoughts and focuses you like a hawk.
For me, it's usually something creative like editing my photos or truly in the zone during a photoshoot. What's your lantern?