MEDITATING ON A FULL DAY

The last seven days at work and in general have been hectic and stressful.  I am slowly recovering from a bad cold and broken bones in my foot, both resulting from me pushing too hard and not taking time to be careful nor to take care of myself.

Tonight I find myself with some time, as things finally settle down around 7:45 p.m., so I meditate.  No, no, no; not that "ooooohhmmmm" stuff. Usually I go to an app (Insight Timer) that lets me listen to various nature sounds while I de-stress from the day; like white noise for my brain. 

Not this time.  This time I search out my favorite teacher and good friend who has an app called Tranquil Me.  I originally took a few meditating sessions with the instructor to help her business, but now she is my go-to when I need heavy-duty relaxation. 

Tonight I need heavy-duty relaxation.

Despite all the stuff on my to-do list and despite the fact that I have been running around all day, I decide that I deserve thirty minutes to myself, so I sit by myself in the living room in front of the Christmas tree, close my eyes, and listen to my friend's voice.

My mind drifts from time to time -- that to-do list refuses to be quiet -- and I eventually doze for a few seconds here and there during musical interludes, but it works. By 8:15 I am relaxed and stress-free (for the most part). 

Honestly, my idea of meditation is what I pulled on my students the last day before break: soft instrumental music and an animated roaring fireplace projected on the front board.  Meditation is that fifteen minutes I had to myself at night in the saltwater hot tub in the mountains of Maine, gazing at the stars and the moon.  Meditation happens when I'm out snowshoeing (in a safe place) and no one has broken trail yet because the snow is that fresh.

But tonight the much-needed relaxation comes via my friend, and, like always, when the session (guided meditation) is over, I feel like I've had a massage, and I don't care about a damn thing on that to-do list.