Tag Archives: meditation

On being present

How much time do we spend ruminating on the past? …Anticipating or anxious about the future? …Thinking about possible scenarios and reenacting different outcomes to decisions or conversations? …Wondering how our lives could be different, if only…

How much time do we spend hiding from the present moment without knowing that is what we are doing? Are we really procrastinating, or are we outright avoiding? Are we creating new possibilities, or are we avoiding inevitable realities? Are we rehearsing alternate options, or creating unachievable fantasies?

What do we do to unintentionally avoid the present?

What can we do to intentionally be present?

Stop. Breathe. Breathe again deeply. Feel the oxygen reach your extremities. Smile. Now decide what you will do right now.

To seize the day, you must first seize the present moment.

Special Moments

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

How many special moments can we count in our lives? What deserves that honour?

Yesterday was my 21st wedding anniversary, surely that counts, as would my wedding day, and the birth of my wonderful children.

But what about that salted caramel ice cream I had last night with my family? What about my conversation with a colleague during a break in our meeting yesterday? What about the wave I got out of the driver’s side window when I let a car in ahead of me?

What about getting off my treadmill after giving myself a physical push with some interval training? Or listening to an insightful passage in an audio book? Or feeling my body relax during meditation?

What about a shared laugh at dinner? What about listening my my daughter recap her day? Or even sending a funny cartoon to a friend via text?

What about watching a sunset? Or petting my cat who pushes his nose against mine? Or a delicious meal?

A hug. A smile. A laugh. A quiet breath? A silent walk. A happy exchange with a store clerk. A supportive conversation with a friend?

We can reserve special moments for only sparse, special, and momentous occasions, or we can choose to celebrate a hundred or even a thousand special moments every day. These moments may not necessarily take our breath away, but they can be celebrated; a reason to smile; an impetus to value life; a moment to appreciate.

In this way, every day can be wonderful. How man special moments will you decide to have today?

Being still

Yesterday I went on a little fishing trip around Alice Lake, just north of Squamish, BC. Spoiler alert, I didn’t catch anything.

Before I began, I did my daily meditation on a log that extended into the lake, then I started my walking loop on the shoreline trail. There weren’t many places to stop and fish along the trail, but I enjoyed the quiet of each stop. It was late afternoon on a cloudy mid-week day and so the parking lot was bare, and there were few swimmers in the lake or hikers on the trails.

Nearly 3/4 the way around the lake I saw a log several feet from the shore and parallel to it. The log served as a harbour from the wind that rippled the water beyond it. The contrast on the surface was stark. On the far side, the lake was rippled and murky. On the shoreline side the water was smooth as glass, a mirror for trees and the sky above. The log served as the dividing line, separating the two distinct surfaces as if the log were a rift between two different realities.

It didn’t seem real. One lake, two very different surfaces, a single log creating the separation. I began to think of how we can do this in our minds. We are surrounded by chaos, or distractions, or by the stresses of work, and yet we can tuck these distractions away, for a moment with loved ones, or for a favourite hobby, or for a quiet moment alone. We can compartmentalize moments of stillness in times that are not remotely still.

We are capable of this, but do we do it enough? Do we create the time and space for our minds, or parts of our minds, to be still?

Embrace the suck

I’ve been meditating for at least 10 minutes every day for just over 6 months… and I suck at it.

There are days where I can’t concentrate on my breath for more than 3 breaths without my mind wondering off to a myriad of topics from the mundane to the ridiculous. This is when, in the past, I’d just give up. Before this attempt, I’ve never lasted more than a week without getting frustrated and quitting meditation.

Then in a number of podcasts (and audio books) I listen to I kept hearing things like: meditation isn’t about emptying your mind, it’s about bring yourself back when you realize your thoughts have drifted; And, meditation isn’t about a destination, but rather about the journey.

I tried to change my self-talk, but when I’m 9 minutes into a guided meditation and the guide says, “For the last minute I want you to…”, and I feel like I’ve been scattered for the full 9 minutes, the feeling of ‘I suck’ comes back whether I want it to or not.

So, rather than fight it, I decided to embrace it. Six months in, I still suck at meditation, but I’m less and less upset with my distractions. I’m more tolerant with myself when I recognize I’ve drifted into distracted thinking.

I couldn’t convince myself that I was getting better until I accepted and embraced the suck.

**UPDATE: August 12, 2019 – found this image and thought it was worth sharing: