Happy New Year!

So many exciting things are happening in our world these days.  Some of them are exciting in a good way, and some not so great. Climate change and political unrest are daunting challenges to overcome, but innovations in technology and space exploration give much hope for the future.  How do we keep our equilibrium during these times of rapid change?  By balancing the spin with stillness.

Yes, I am talking about meditation.  No, don’t stop reading now because you think meditation is either too hard, too time consuming, or too wacky.  Once you find a meditation style that works for you, it becomes a simple, relatively quick way to be your best self.

There are so many different ways to meditate, so don’t be daunted by thinking you have to sit in lotus position for an hour, or chant mantras and count beads.  At the same time, don’t immediately throw out the idea of chanting mantras or counting beads; that might be your best way of meditating!

A great way to learn to meditate is by taking a class or joining a group meditation, but you can also take advantage of the bazillions of sites on the internet and YouTube.  Search a particular style of meditation that you have heard of (Buddhist meditation, walking meditation) or check out the websites of some of the biggies (Deepak Chopra or the Silva Method).  Or just type in “how to meditate” and see what comes up.

Meditation is a skill that must be learned, so just like when you started your yoga practice or worked up to the Boston Marathon, you start where you are and go from there.  Make it a priority for 2012.  Om shanti. Peace.

Time is on Your Side!

Do you have time to read a bit more about Time?  Last week I blithely said that yes, you have enough time, and I truly meant it.  There is enough time in life to do what is important.  There may not be enough time to get home from work and feed your kid a healthy, home-cooked meal before soccer practice, but there is time to nurture, love, and teach that same kid through childhood.  Some things have to fall by the wayside, and it is up to you to decide how to spend your time.

And notice how we use “no time” as an excuse:  When a friend calls asking for help with the school fashion show and you cannot think of anything more tortuous, you will beg off, saying “Oh, I simply don’t have the time.”  A moment later the phone rings again and you are asked to help with the animal shelter’s adoption drive.  Oh, those cute kittens! All of a sudden Time reappears and you eagerly say “yes”.   Hmmm, interesting.  Is it true that you don’t have time to vacuum the house (reoccurring theme for me, you can tell that’s an issue in this house!), or is it that you would rather read a magazine?  Do you really not have time to help out with the Girl Scout Cookie Sale, or do you just not want to?  

Time is getting a bad rap, being used as a scapegoat for getting out of unpleasant tasks.  Leave Time alone!  It knows how to get the job done and doesn’t appreciate being bullied.  There is enough time.  You just have to learn how to get along with it. 

Time's a'Wasting!

Someone recently asked me to do something because she didn’t have time to do one more thing.  Her calendar was full and her stress level was building.  I had the feeling she thought that since I didn’t clock in at an office every day, I had loads of time.  I said yes and did the task right away so I wouldn’t have to think about it.  It ended up taking me about an hour, and I learned a new computer skill along the way.  Time well spent.

No one has enough time.  There is no such thing as spare time.  We have to make a concerted effort to afford ourselves some leisure time.  Time is speeding up and we are racing to keep pace.  The clock is ticking!

Holy Minute Hand, Batman!  Let’s use one of our precious moments to take a deep breath.  I’m about to give you an early Christmas present:  You have enough time.  Take a look at your yesterday.  You had a list of things to do and you got some of them done.  Or you got all of them done.  Or you got none of them done.  But the time was there for your use, in any way you chose.  If you didn’t vacuum the house because your neighbor dropped by for a cup of tea, you had time for your neighbor.  If you accomplished every task on your list then dropped exhausted on the couch in the evening, there was time for that, too. 

Time may be limited, but every second is there for the taking.  And there is enough.  Take the time to help your neighbor.  Take the time for a quick nap.  Yes, there are deadlines and while you can always vacuum tomorrow, you still have to get your kids fed and to the practice field on time tonight; but don’t make Time your enemy.  Get to work on time and don’t waste time (is that even possible?) and take your time.  And breathe and smile and check off your list.  Or not.