Still Water Runs Deep

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Ever find yourself looking into a pond, river, or lake's waters? When there is wind, and turbulence creating motion it tends to make the water muddy. Reducing visibility, and the certainty of wait lies beneath.  I don't know about you all, but I really don't want to be stepping into those uncharted water where I cannot see what might be lurking right under the surface. 
Now, imagining that water on a still calm day. No wind disturbance, no motion. The silt and mud settled on the bottom allowing you to see everything with crystal clarity.  Your reflection, and that of everything around you is visible. 
Lastly, let us go a bit further and allow ourselves to imagine ourselves as that body of water. When we are rushing, harried, overly stressed, and unfocused there is turbulence. Thoughts may become muddy, swirling around and clarity disappears.  
When we find ourselves feeling this way, the best practice to calm the waters is to find the stillness that Mindfulness offers.
Taking simply  a few moments, or, frankly longer if that is needed, and allow yourself simply to sit. Without doing anything but allowing your awareness to just observe your breath, and the thoughts that cloud the mind. At first, this can be difficult, much like stepping into those waters where everything is unseen, no bottom in sight.  I'm not going to tell you it will be easy, the mind has it's own plans, and this may be uncomfortable. Through staying the course, watching the thoughts, if a thought follows that thought, and simply noticing you had them-but then letting them go by without attaching to them  begins to bring calm, and eventually clarity. The thoughts will start to settle, and in that stillness there is clarity. 
If you ever want to create a tangible illustration of this, or have a child you want to demonstrate this concept to, try making a Mindfulness Jar. Using a mason jar,  add some glitter glue, ( I like the fine stuff) 1/4 cup of vegetable glycerin placing them in the jar. Add hot water (please be careful, the glass can be extremely hot) and fill half way, stirring. Fill to almost top. Wait until it is cool prior to gluing the lid in place. 
When you shake it the glitter suspends in the liquid representing 'all those pretty thoughts' and as you sit and just watch, those thoughts settle-and there is clarity.
I hope you try it