Not Dulling The Mind with TV (which I love)

To the dull mind all nature is leaden. To the illumined mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It amazes me to actually pay attention to the difference between slowing down and being present, something I give lip service to all the time, and ACTUALLY doing so. How my mind sees and feels the illumination of "the whole world," instead of when I clog my mind up.

Last night I was working on a mechanical project. Half of it I spent doing it and listening to music, working on the project while playing music, the other half I spent doing it and watching a movie. One is "more skillful" then the other, not better or worse: during the portion with the music I could feel a presence of this natural ability (is it channeling?) to mechanically repair things, and muck about with tools. During the movie-watching portion, doing the same project, I'm not quite drugged, but I am, for certain less present in the powerful NOW .... that's so silently illuminated with just being.