This story, inspired by the phrase “first thought, best thought” - is attributed to both poet Allen Ginsberg and to Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche explores the memorable magic of a first kiss.
Thinking aside, do you recall your first episode of romantic kissing? Was it special? Or maybe just meh? Regardless of the details, it’s a universal milestone, often laden with a mix of emotions and sometimes, a touch of the mystical. Such mystical moments are often unrecognized and overlooked. They can transcend ordinary life and appear during profound experiences like childbirth or, as in my story, simple kissing in the 7th grade.
One evening I attended a school carnival alone near my home. Somehow I met a young girl my age that I didn’t know and we walked outside together. In a secluded spot we made-out for several minutes. This was my first experience in making-out and I never saw her afterwards. We eventually parted and in the darkness of night I walked home alone.
This experience was unlike any I had known and it predictably aroused sexual feelings. But it wasn’t those feelings I was most aware of as I walked home. What then? I felt extremely light in mind and body, almost weightless and my walking seemed effortless. I guess I was on “cloud 9” but there’s no guessing that I was experiencing an altered state of consciousness.
It was a clear, cloudless evening and the stars were shining brightly. At one point my awareness was drawn to gazing at the sparkling stars above and considering their uniqueness and spatial immensity. As I gazed at the stars, their brilliance seemed to echo the profound lightness within me - a revelation of life’s immense canvas, sparked by simple kissing.
This walk was so special that I didn’t share it, even with my best friend. It wasn’t until my twenties that I better understood how the transpersonal can appear “out of the blue” as a grace amidst normal activity. And today I’m recalling the words of an old-time gospel song “bright morning stars are shining, bright morning stars are shining, daylight is a-breakin in my soul”. And so it was then with that first kiss and continues even sans kissing.
End