Meditation

Have you ever thought about learning to meditate?  I know that I have many times!  However, the left side of my brain...the analytical side....somehow always gets in the way.  I have noticed how people who meditate daily have such a look of peace about them.  They usually have a nice complexion too.  I want that....left brain...get out of the way!

There was a guy in my Comparative Religion class at college.  His name was James.  He shared on the first day of class that he meditates every day.  Well....I kept that bit of news in the back of my mind.  One day our class was cancelled and as I was driving out of the parking lot, I saw him headed to class....and started up a conversation.....now that was brave of me and so outside my normal behavior...because first of all he is in his mid 20's perhaps....nice looking, long blond hair and blue eyes....and...most embarassing of all....I was missing 2 front teeth....but we talked at great lengths about meditation and life that day.   How fun!  We both shared about how after meeting a person for the first time, we quickly forget their names and we vowed to work on that.

Subsequently, whenever we met in class....we would call each other by name, say hi and smile....what a nice way to start class....such a nice man and what a flirt.  Well, I started to meditate....I wanted some of that peaceful charm he had!

In the past, whenever I thought about learning to meditate....I would get books on the topic...but never got around to reading them....well, that wasn't the case this time.  Remember me saying that my left brain always got in the way?

Well...meditation involves quieting the mind...closing your eyes...or simply focusing on one object...like a candle perhaps.  After many years of trying to get this going....I knew that if I had to close my eyes it wasn't going to work...because then I would start to wonder...hey what's going on around me....and that was a distraction in itself....silly huh?

But I was determined this time....I even went so far as to get incense....a singing bowl....the grandkids got a kick out of that one...I started to meditate, but used quite a lot of effort to try and stay focused.   There were chapters that I needed to read for school and so many things that cluttered my mind...what to cook for dinner....what time to pick up the grandkids from school....you name it...I had it.  Never the perfect time or place.....these are the things that clutter my mind. 

So, I decided to set a goal...write it down and meditate on that...I don't know if that's what a person should do...but I did it anyway....stuff like going to India and meeting my favorite actor Shahrukh Khan.  Well after a couple of times doing that....I met a woman in my Art History class whose parents were from India and who herself has travelled to India many times to visit family...not quite the same but we had fun talking about Bollywood films and our favorite actors.  Kinda missed my target goal, but oh well cest' la vie (spelling?)...or is it Karma?