A DARK ROOM

Just imagine you had to live for 24 hours in A DARK ROOM whose dimensions were 8’X10″,  lit by a 5 watt bulb without any furniture other than a sleeping cot. The closest town to this oversized “box” was 50 miles away. Close your eyes and envision the life you would live for the next 24 hours under these conditions. Seriously, take a moment to close your eyes and picture what a 24 hour day under these conditions would look like and feel like to you. After you open your eyes, see if the picture you created in your mind sounds similar to the one I describe.

The first thing I notice and feel is the silence. It creates a sense of calmness and relaxation. Why you ask? Because this dark room belongs only to me. There is no evil, no distractions, no one to answer to, no one to be hurt by. It becomes a place of sanctuary and peace.

In the limited light, I can see only me for the first time. This is comforting because under these conditions no one can judge me and add to any insecurity I may feel. I alone can judge what I see. To gain greater perspective, I can close my eyes and call on my brain to stimulate the rest of my senses.  Can I feel my heart beating? Can I smell the lingering scent of strangers that have stayed here in the past? Can I taste the air with my tongue? Can I feel my lungs expand? Can I hear what darkness sounds like? How exciting it feels to become aware of the complexity of my body and its ability to function without any thoughtful effort on my part.

A DARK ROOM, in addition, offers me a valuable gift that eludes many people living outside of it. It offers me TIME. Time to sleep, to meditate, to stretch, to exercise, to plan and to catch up on my thoughts and needs. Time offers me the freedom to decide how and when and how often. I am no longer a slave to appointments and other time related responsibilities.

This dark room offers me a chance to experience ME and the world within its parameters I chose to create. In this setting, I choose to expand my world by creating my own source of light and experience the blessing that could only be accomplished under these conditions.

When you opened your eyes, was this your vision too?

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For many, the vision was loneliness in a fearful environment with walls that were so close they felt as if they were slowly closing in. A sense of desperation; a need to escape back to a world filled with noise and turmoil and chaos. Anything seemed better than the fear experienced being alone with nothing to do other than focusing on new experiences of misery and anxiety yet to come once returning to the real world.

Do you find it interesting that different people under the same circumstances can view life with such diametrically opposing views? One person can see desirable potentials with a natural tendency to find positive in any of life’s experiences while the second person can only see the darkness and the fear that accompanies it.

Which person are you?

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Surprisingly, many have never considered their options in life. We simply live day to day finding gratification in making it through another day. After reading this story, I hope you are willing to CLOSE YOUR EYES and OPEN YOUR HEART AND MIND to new opportunities to live a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life. A DARK ROOM can be a haven containing MORE LIGHT and MORE POSSIBILITIES or be a prison filled with PAIN and DESPAIR. Choosing your vision of A DARK ROOM can be a starting point to help your find a better future.

Tags: emotions, Fear, happiness, health, lifestyle, opportunity, pain, positive thinking