TupeloKenyon.com

Meditation

Notes from Janey . . .

I meditate. Of course I do. Everyone searching for a bit of
enlightenment does. I’ve heard myself say, I meditate every morning
in my garden when I can. But if the truth be known, I find it hard
to meditate. Maybe you’re like me too. But we would never admit it,
would we? It’s like the basic lesson in Self Realization 101. It’s
difficult for me to shut down the monkey mind and settle into the
silence. When I settle, there’s always a party going on.

I don’t even have the excuse that there’s no place quiet enough.
I’ve got plenty to choose from. Sitting down by the creek, in my
garden, in the living room, or the comfy couch in the recording
studio, are all excellent choices. I don’t have kids or grandkids
or a business that invades my mornings either. No, I have no
excuses.

I don’t give up, however. During the summer, the obvious choice is
my garden. I close my eyes. I feel the gentle Wyoming sun on my
body. I hear the hummingbirds soaring about the blooms. The day is
revving itself up to be glorious. Then the neighbor two acres away
decides to mow. I wonder if I remembered to put softener into this
last wash. An ant crawls up my leg. The mower hits a rock.

Like I said, I find it hard to meditate. But I’ve developed a
system that works for me. Every morning and before I go to bed, I
do this:

I take deep breaths, calming myself down, and then I open the
valve of gratitude. I don’t think of specific things or my mind
will take over. I immerse myself in an immense feeling of gratitude
for my life (and all that it entails – even the fact that it’s
difficult to keep thoughts at bay for one lousy minute). I let
gratitude overwhelm and overflow, up and out into the universe.

After releasing gratitude for all that is, I reverse the flow. Joy
floods back in and becomes a torrent. I feel it hitting my heart,
my mind, my body, washing me clean. It fills me to a point where
the dam breaks, letting gratitude flow once more, and the cycle
begins again. What a way to start my day. Breathing in joy,
breathing out gratitude. I feel I am Super Woman!

Try it sometime. I think you’ll get hooked too. Hooked up to the universe, that is. (And it don’t get much better than this.)