“All winter you carved water jars out of ice.
How well will they hold the summer snowmelt?” ~ Rumi
This is the sixteenth day in a row in which I’ve meditated, and it’s starting to bring me back to a calmer baseline. In my case, that’s the whole purpose of meditation. Not for any transformative earth-shattering shift, just a calmer starting and resting point, one that remains more stable, with gentle and manageable curves rather than the spikes and rollercoasters akin to the latest COVID numbers.
This winter has been especially wanting for something calm and serene. As my Dad declines a bit every day, and the stresses of a worldwide pandemic entering its second year take their toll, I feel the weight that most adults feel, and I understood it was time to make meditation once again part of my daily routine.
For now, I’m doing 15-17 minutes of meditation a day, and it’s a good beginning. Gradually I’ll increase the sessions as my body adjusts to sitting still for longer periods, which will make for a deeper experience, and a lengthier place of peace. Winter always has its troubles, and it’s good to have something to keep you grounded.
Listening to Tibetan flute music, and burning thin little sticks of Japanese incense also helps to set an atmosphere of calm and serenity, aided by the light of our living room with its bay window of ferns and tiny fig trees. It’s where I pass the winter weekends, watching the sky for signs that the light is lingering, and waiting for the gray morning to come again.
“And don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.” – Rumi
