“Hey, where are you going for Nyepi?”
We hear this often around this time of year. A lot of people think its a time to leave Bali.
Do not LEAVE…… And here is why.
when is the last time you stared at the stars? The night of Nyepi is amazing for star gazing. Take one night out of the year to look up at the sky in complete wonder.
1. Reflect
Use this time to realize how small you are, and how small your problems are. And how large the universe is. The darkness on the night of Nyepi is the perfect time to stargaze. You will see more stars on this night than you will any other night of the entire year. Enjoy
2. Quiet
When is the last time you had some peace and quiet? No No No I know. “what you mean? This morning before the kids woke up?” No, we’re talking about true peace and quiet, quiet required by law! Use this forced time of quietness to reflect on your life, on the year, the year ahead and the year behind. Use this time wisely enjoy it. It’s a little painful at first but once you can settle into the quiet, I promise that you can fall in love with this moment.
3. The dogs
They love Nyepi. Think about this day, all of the four-legged friends that you have running around the neighborhood. If you still have internet( try with no electronic for expert level) turn on a CCTV (http://atcs.baliprov.go.id/live.html) in the middle of Bali to see the streets empty. It looks like a ghost town but with the happiest K-9’s running the streets in complete and utter ecstasy. No one to run them over no one to yell at them no one to kick them. This day is truly a dog’s Nirvana. It’s a beautiful sight.
4. Slow Down.
Oftentimes life is so busy, so quick things happen, you don’t even get a chance to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Use this day to come back to yourself. To the reason why you’re in Bali if you are Foreigner. And fall back in love with the place that you’ve chosen to spend your time. Often we start to get annoyed by the small things and forget the bigger picture of the reasons why we uprooted.
And why we love Bali. We came here to come spend our days in this magical land. Yes, she has problems she’s not perfect but we love her and we fell in love with her. And that’s why we’re here, use this day to reflect on why you love this place and what you’re doing here. And remember there no such thing as the perfect place the only place perfection exists is in your mind.
5. Do something different
Take this day to catch up on that book that you’ve been meaning to read for the last 5 years. Or spend a few days before researching a meditation or breathing exercise something that you wouldn’t normally do. Something that just doesn’t normally fit into your busy chaotic day. Use this day to do something that you wouldn’t normally do step outside of yourself, step outside of your routine and enjoy that discomfort. Enjoy that difference on this day and it can truly be beautiful. It just depends on how you look at it. They say that when you change the way you look at things the things you look at change. Enjoy this day and feel grateful to be here in this special moment.
Check out this beautiful song about this beautiful day.