One of Kem's colleagues is training for a 40-mile run. He told her this week that he's having some trouble, not with the physical challenge, but with the boredom that sets in at mile 32 (why 32?). I think he's going to try listening to a book, but if he asked me – not because I know mile 32, but because I have a hunch – I'd say to try meditation.

Meditation is great in the middle of the night, when you can't sleep. Meditation is great when someone is telling a very long, convoluted story with no plot line and no opportunity to get a word in edgewise. Meditation is great when religious services get too long, or when you're standing on the sidelines watching your kids' soccer team losing again and it's begun to rain. It's great when you're on hold, or waiting in line, or waiting at the airport, or waiting in a hospital (in a waiting room – a whole room for waiting!). It's great for all those moments when that feeling sneaks in that calls to you like a siren, saying, Anywhere but here. And it's great for those moments beyond words, beyond prayer, when, really, there is absolutely nothing else you can say or do.

If I ever run beyond mile 13.1 to mile 32, I'm going to try meditation. I'll let you know how it goes.