I mentioned before that my current task for myself was to keep a daily meditation practice. I’ve been doing this for two weeks now, and I am amazed at the results.
First, probably the biggest thing that kept me from doing this regularly before was my environment. I have six children, and we homeschool, so they are home all day long. I am never alone in my house. When my children go to bed, it’s husband time. There is really never a time when I can focus on something alone and undisturbed; even if I get a chance to sit and work on something, I will still be expected to talk and respond to others. I saw this as a nearly insurmountable obstacle to daily spiritual practice, and I’ve spent the last couple of years just sitting around and whining to myself about it.
When I stopped whining and just started doing…it worked.
I chose to have my meditation in the living room, with music playing. Within just a couple of days, my children saw and understood my practice, and they began to work to protect my space. Younger children would be shooed away by the older ones. Phone calls were answered and messages taken. Even my husband just took it at face value and left me alone while I was in my meditation seat.
This was the last thing I expected to happen. I am just shocked and amazed at how this fell out. I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me, with the possibility finally of building and expanding a daily practice, even beyond the meditation.
The past two weeks have certainly been pleasant. I can’t necessarily attribute this entirely to the meditation, because I made some changes in my sleep patterns as well. (I have been allowing myself to wake naturally, instead of at a set time on an alarm clock, whenever possible.) However, my mood and my outlook have taken an enormous change toward the positive. I’ve developed this incredible glowing feeling of peace. I hope it lasts.