Organized Chaos

The term Zen is derived from the word chán, an abbreviation of chánnà, which is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word of dhyãna which means meditation. To meditate by definition to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, and leading to a state of perfect equanimity and awareness or Nirvana.

To be Zen is to be in a state of calm attentiveness in which one's actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort. Every human is unique and although some people are wired similarly people reach their states of Zen differently. Some require silence, some require sounds like rain, the crackles of a fireplace, or the sound of the ocean, some prefer soft music, I just require music that I can zone out to, some of it has lyrics but I get so consumed by the peace that it brings me I can only recite the words subconsciously. Here is my Zen playlist:

“Electric” - by Alina Baraz

This song makes me feel like I am floating in the middle of the ocean without any cares, worries, or dangers of doing anything but drifting with the subtle currents.

“Atoll” - by Nai Palm

This song makes me feel like I am laying in the comfort of my late grandmother arms riding down a country road with the windows down at dusk while a cool breeze hits our skin on a warm summer day.

“Mack’s Stroll” - by Willie Hutch

This song makes me feel like I am walking on stars and each of my steps adds to the constellation that my footprints are creating”

“Falling” - by Paravi Das

This song makes me feel like I am riding rain drops that never land.

“SpottieOttieDopalicious” - by Outkast

This song makes me feel like I’m exhaling after holding my breath for hours.

“A Mountian With No Ending” - by Classixx

This song makes me feel like being wrapped the warmest most soft blanket that you’ve ever felt.

“I love you” - by Billie Eilish

This song makes me feel like I’m roller skating on clouds.

“The Makings of You” - by Curtis Mayfield

This song makes me feel like I’m sleeping peacefully in a field of sunflowers.

“Azure” - By Ella Fitzgerald

This song makes me feel like crying tears of joy for no particular reason.

“Me and Your Mother” - by Childish Gambino

This song makes me feel like I’m watching a ballet that starts off gentle and slow and intensifies with every movement of the dancers.

“Take of Your Cool” - by Andre 3000 and Norah Jones

This song makes me feel like I’m laying nude in a hammock outside on the most lovely day of the year:

“N Side” - By Steve Lacy

This song makes me feel like I imagine Tom Hanks character on the movie big felt when he was playing the Walking Piano at FAO Schwartz’s

“Special Affair” - by The Internet

This song makes me feel as if my body is a Cello and the most skilled musician in the world is playing me:

“John Redcorn” - by Sir

This song makes me feel like I’m sitting on a deck of a mountain side cabin watching the sunset.

“I want you around” - By Snoh Allegra

This song make me feel like I’m laying next to the fireplace on the most cold day of winter, but enjoying the sight of the flame more then the warmth of the fire.

The voices in combination with the composition of each of the above songs, allow me to get to a place where I’m not thinking about anything chaotic even though some of the lyrics are based in chaos. The mind of a person with diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder, like myself, often times requires a combination of sounds in order to reach clarity. So to where the average person would see a lot of confusion and no organization in my Zen playlist selections, the results are always good for centering me as an individual. Zen comes from different sources, but the peace required to reach a state of Zen comes from within.