Booting Up for Life

This morning, I am clutching a paper towel to my fingertip. I am out of Band-aids (it is not the first time), and I remember why my Lenten observance is to meditate first thing every morning. I want to practice mindfulness. I want to spend more time in the present, and less in the future and the past. That practice would come in handy while slicing onions.

When I went to bed on Fat Tuesday, I did not have a Lenten practice in mind. I make a habit of self-improvement projects, and don’t often use occasions like New Years or Lent to do more or different things than I do the rest of the time. However, when I woke up on Ash Wednesday, a little voice suggested, “practice daily meditation.” My little voice is wise, and I said, “OK.”

Over the years, the first steps of my morning have varied. They almost always begin at the coffee pot. The second step might head for the treadmill or out the door for a pre-dawn run. It might lead to a chair for reading and journaling. More often, it takes me to the computer for e-mail, Facebook, the calendar, and a to-do list. A day that starts (even before coffee) seated quietly in the “space between thoughts,” is something new. The practice has caused me to step back and reflect on engaging with life each day.

The following stream of consciousness from a recent journal entry is entitled, “Booting Up.”

Meditation launches the Present and awareness, falling awake on center. Fireplace and blanket warm the body. Coffee peels back the melatonin. Reading opens the mind with positive thought. Writing makes it my own and embeds the insight. Journaling engages the past with learning and gratitude, the future with intent and trust. E-mail and Facebook engage community, reaching out with inquiry and compassion, encouragement and celebration. Breakfast nourishes. Thinking engages the rational mind; doing engages the world. Physical activity charges the body. Naps restore. Snacks replenish. Happy hour savors and re-connects. In reading, listening, watching I learn and en-joy. The Spirit ignites and in-fuses.

How do you “boot up for life” and set off confidently on the path you intend for the day ahead? Is there anything about mornings that you would like to do differently?

Until the next time, go well.

Pam
www.wellbuddies.com