If you have ever tried meditating, you know it’s tricky.
You might be having a blissful meditation sitting where your mind is concentrated, almost thoughtless. There is an unending supply of joy.
“You need to pee,” your mind tells you. You regret the warm glass of water you had 15 minutes before. Or maybe you blame the cold weather.
“No problem,” you convince yourself. “I will take a short break and re-enter my blissful state.”
As you come back and place your butt back on the cushion, the world has turned upside down. The bliss has vanished. Despite your best efforts, your mind acts like a monkey in the Amazon forest – jumping from one thought to another.
And then, when you are just about to give up, a tiny voice says in your head, “You idiot. Meditation is not about having a blissful sitting. It’s about being aware of the reality. The point is to show up despite the unpleasantness.”
With this new wisdom, you quietly surrender to reality. The chaos is still there, but it doesn’t bother you as much.
The. Point. Is. To. Show. Up.
It’s funny how it applies not just to meditation but to our writing, our work… almost everything.
