Monkey Mind is your best friend.

I continue to be amazed at the attempt to “meditate right”.  It is like fishing hard that my father would want me to do when we were in a boat.  How do you do that?

When you meditate, it is the times (most of the time) that you don’t get it right that opens your mind to all the things that happen to you when not meditating – what you should have done, could have done, wished you had done or wish you had not done.  Nothing we have ever done or thought or ever thought of thinking is not hidden in some corner of the mind.   

My notes to myself about  meditation are

1) nothing comes to you in your meditation gallery that you are not ready to deal with

2) sometimes you get a hint of coming attractions

3) with practice, you are much more the observer with less judgement and praise and

4) in time or on a calm day .. the idea just floats by and you remain objective.

I loved this in a Tricycle blog about meditating on retreat.

“Your mind is essentially a demented rubber ball soaked in schizo juice and trapped in your skull. It’s constantly bouncing off the walls and careening around everywhere, knocking over all your mental toys and denting your hopes and dreams. It leaps from one random subject to the next, never satisfied, never settling, never tiring, and really never making a bit of sense.”  Brent R. Oliver  Lexington, Kentucky

The research on stress, anxiety, and depression reduction is enough to get me to do it.   Soon you might even find you are more aware of yourself in your daily life.  Today, I almost walked out of a restaurant without my cell phone.  I read a Kindle book while I wait for the food.   As I was about to make the transition to walking home, I paused to take inventory and returned to check the table.  Phone and I walked back together more aware of the surroundings.

A good way to end the day…  The Evening Gatha

"Let me respectfully remind you,

Life and death are of supreme importance.

Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost.

Each of us should strive to awaken. . .

. . . awaken,

Take heed. Do not squander your life."