Small Challenges as Opportunities
Today I am practicing gratitude that the final death throes of my 31-year old washer-dryer simply means having to go through the expense and annoyance of getting a replacement.
Today I am practicing gratitude that the final death throes of my 31-year old washer-dryer simply means having to go through the expense and annoyance of getting a replacement.
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Later in the week, I will enjoy bundling up when I go outside. October is a delightful month.
I used to note the first day of winter as a marker of the long, cold and dark season ahead. Now I mark the first day after the solstice as the an opening to the light. In only a few weeks, even though the weather will be wintry, the days will be noticeably longer. This time of year, I walk on the sunny side of street and choose the middle of the day to be outside, in contrast to summer, when I walk in the morning or late afternoon on the shady side of the street. When I went out at midday for a long walk, the light was almost blindingly bright. The blazing sun seemed that much more of a treasure for the cold blustering wind and the shortness of the day. That the light was so clear and vivid seemed an apt reminder that going through periods of cold and dark can clear us for newly illuminated paths if we are only open to the sources of illumination — inside and out.
The other morning, Facebook put into my feed the answer given by a one of the many yoga teachers among my friends to the question, “what is the first thing you do in the morning?” The answer was “meditate.”
Besides again wondering why people answer these questions and why Facebook would put this in my feed, I questioned in my head, “really?”
I empty my bladder, feed the cat, make the bed, brush my teeth, drink some hot water, and move and stretch a little before sitting down to meditate.
And when I do sit, I first do a body scan and 5-10 minutes of pranayama. I cannot imagine sitting before meditation without most of that except in unusual circumstances.
My morning meditation is, though, before I start engaging in projects or eating breakfast or leaving the house.
What do you do first thing in the morning?
When do you meditate?