Monday: Reflection

This morning, I started back into my meditation practice, and I was so happy to have so many of you there with me.

Before I sat down, I had gotten two kids ready for school, made breakfast, packed lunches, gotten our new puppy settled, made myself some tea, gotten dressed, and printed out a few capybara pictures for my daughter (I'm still not entirely sure what this latest craze is about).

Then I dropped the kids off at school.

And finally, it was time to sit.

Ten minutes of silence.

Sometimes I have to make myself sit down and be quiet. There's always something else I could be doing. Something that feels more productive or more pressing.

But I know how important those ten minutes are.

Meditation is the formal practice of intentional communication.

It's where we practice being with things as they are, rather than how we think they should be.

We notice our thoughts without having to believe every one of them. We become aware of our judgments and evaluations without getting caught up in them. We practice letting go of expectations and allowing the moment to be what it is.

And in doing so, we begin to see things more clearly.

We learn that we don't have to react to everything that arises. We can notice what's happening, give ourselves some space, and choose how we want to respond.

And that practice doesn't end when we get up from our seat.

We bring it into our conversations, our relationships, our work, and all the unexpected moments that come our way.

Those ten minutes of silence don't guarantee that the rest of my day will go smoothly. But they help me meet whatever happens with a little more patience, clarity, and intention.

That's why I make the time.

So today, I'm inviting you to carve out ten minutes of silence for yourself.

You don't have to formally meditate. You can simply sit without doing anything. No phone. No distractions. Nothing to accomplish.

Just give yourself ten minutes to be quiet.

And notice what happens when you give yourself that space.