I have been trying to meditate for years now–unsuccessfully, however. I always allow life to get in the way, putting my to-do list above sitting down and spending a few minutes with myself. It is 2011, and I am ready to commit to myself, to commit to meditating everyday. Like Riva, I have jump-started on meditation. I try to do it every morning, as Sharon advised in our meeting at the Tibet House last week. I am a novice meditator but have been good at focusing on my breathing. That is not to say that thoughts of all the things that I must do in the day do not sneak up on me. I am trying to listen to those thoughts and reflect on why my mind is such a busy-body. I need to learn to allow myself to let go, to be OK with spending a few minutes not doing. So far, I have been consistent in making time to meditate and each day it gets a little easier to just be mindful, to just breathe, to just be. Yesterday, I challenged myself and meditated for 10 minutes in the steam room at my gym and left feeling so calm and peaceful. I look forward to the journey with this community and know that each of you will keep me accountable, and for that, I thank you.
