“Hurry Up and Slow Down!”
It's a typical weekday. So that means that the following thoughts run through my head immediately upon waking:
Did I remember to turn the stove down last night? Jane emailed me last week about that class. Did I really respond or just imagine it? Deadline Friday! How much of the article is left to write? Should I be worried about this back pain? Probably just the way I slept. Right? Do we have enough bread left for lunches today?
And on, and on, and on. And all this is before rising. My husband says that just hearing about all that goes on in my head tires him out. I don't think I'm unusual though. Women are more likely to have all these thoughts running rampant, maybe, but creatives are particularly prone to this type of never ending inner monologue.
While I'm too Type A to consider sitting for a 30 minute meditation practice, I have noticed that the tiny, carefully observed parts of my day can provide space for me to be conscious of my life and the world around me. A mentor once called these bits of time “breathing holes,” an apt description. It can happen intentionally, as this morning when I spent 10 minutes in “nature.”
More often though, I find bits and pieces of meditative moments throughout my day.
Finding “breathing holes”
Sipping a cup of coffee after lunch and watching the steam curl out around the rim; smelling my child’s hair while we cuddle while reading a book; focusing on the beauty of color that emanates from a dish of marbles in the sun; watching the cat sleep in a ball on my grandmother’s rocker.
I’d love to tell you that I’m a master at this. That I find Zen-like moments in every day. But I fail miserably at it most of the time. Like a muscle though, I assume that the habit will get stronger the more I practice.
Do you also find “breathing holes” throughout your day? Or are you more structured, with a proper meditation/prayer practice in place? Please share a response in the comments.
Did I remember to turn the stove down last night? Jane emailed me last week about that class. Did I really respond or just imagine it? Deadline Friday! How much of the article is left to write? Should I be worried about this back pain? Probably just the way I slept. Right? Do we have enough bread left for lunches today?
And on, and on, and on. And all this is before rising. My husband says that just hearing about all that goes on in my head tires him out. I don't think I'm unusual though. Women are more likely to have all these thoughts running rampant, maybe, but creatives are particularly prone to this type of never ending inner monologue. While I'm too Type A to consider sitting for a 30 minute meditation practice, I have noticed that the tiny, carefully observed parts of my day can provide space for me to be conscious of my life and the world around me. A mentor once called these bits of time “breathing holes,” an apt description. It can happen intentionally, as this morning when I spent 10 minutes in “nature.”
More often though, I find bits and pieces of meditative moments throughout my day.
Finding “breathing holes”
Sipping a cup of coffee after lunch and watching the steam curl out around the rim; smelling my child’s hair while we cuddle while reading a book; focusing on the beauty of color that emanates from a dish of marbles in the sun; watching the cat sleep in a ball on my grandmother’s rocker.
I’d love to tell you that I’m a master at this. That I find Zen-like moments in every day. But I fail miserably at it most of the time. Like a muscle though, I assume that the habit will get stronger the more I practice.
Do you also find “breathing holes” throughout your day? Or are you more structured, with a proper meditation/prayer practice in place? Please share a response in the comments.
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