The Bait
Why is it necessary
to lay the trap
with words spouted
in a tone
recognized
as contentious
and meant to cause
hackles to rise
as nonsense words
spill forth
like thorny vines
to bristle sharp
as front and center
the bait is lain out
for the taking
Meditation and Mindfulness
Recently, someone asked me “How often do you meditate?”, and I had a hard time answering this question. The thing is that I do multiple types of meditation every day; but I don’t count them.
I pause multiple times a day to just slow breathe for a few minutes, and focus on those breaths. These breathing exercises are a coping mechanism, and help with my nerves and moments of anxiety. It is meditation, but I don’t count it as such.
I do grounding meditations before client readings. These help to ground and center me for the reading and put my head and energy into the right space. But, I don’t count them as meditation, even though that’s what they are.
I pause for moments of gratitude. I paused for moments of enjoyment from my senses and/or from my synesthesia. I don’t count these as meditation either, although they are in fact a brief mindfulness meditation.
What I count as a meditation is usually a 10 minute or longer stretch of mindfulness meditation and breathing exercise that’s done strictly for me and only for me. This is why we often see my posts saying that my meditation is skipped, even on days when I’ve actually done multiple meditations during the day.
The other types of meditation, I don’t think really count. Not that they don’t do their job or aren’t a type of meditation. I just don’t consider them to be time that was aside for that purpose and just for me.
So with this in mind, I ask to the question “How often do you meditate?” Do I answer multiple times a day? Or do I answer few times a week? I’m still not sure.
Paradise Found
Sweet scents
of lavender
and sweetgrass
blend with sage
cedar
and furniture polish
as footsteps
carry
through the door
and black fluff
rubs
against ankles
in greeting
Happiness
Pretty faces
greet us
vibrantly
to remind us
summer
isn’t just
a slow crawl
through hell
but a
fleeting moment
of beauty
to lift the spirit
and draw out
a smile
The Pause
Lie down
and stay a while
with the
douglas fir
towering above
and pine needles
to cushion
your back
as you stare up
at the sky
and watch
patterns of light
sift
through branches
Exit Route
Tangled up
and disorganized
it seems
there’s
no way out
of this
trapped feeling
blending
distraction
and disorientation
until I feel
lost
and alone
Twisting the Leaf 