It was an office day, and since I’m mostly in the office one day a week now, those hours were packed with catch-up and business and non-stop activity. Exhilarating and a reminder of the world we used to know, there was something reassuring about those hours, but they were draining too. So when I realized I’d scheduled a therapy session for later that afternoon, it felt a little overwhelming. Poor planning on my behalf, and just as the holidays are ensuing.
Still, there was a window of opportunity between work and therapy, and so I set the timer for 26 minutes, lit a stick of Palo Santo incense, and settled into the lotus position as the day lost its light. In this brief window of meditation time, I began the deep breathing, slowing my inhalations and exhalations, locating the breath of the ocean as I moved deeper into a state of calm.
There, in those 26 minutes, time briefly expanded, and I touched on the edge of the infinite, realizing in simple yet epic fashion the way the mind can clear itself of mental and emotional detritus. A moment of mindfulness allows for the unfurling of an entire universe in a matter of minutes. Time-bending once felt like the unattainable magic of sorcerers and make-believe.
It feels less unattainable today.
