“It is only when we silence the blaring sounds of our daily existence that we can finally hear the whispers of truth that life reveals to us, as it stands knocking on the doorsteps of our hearts.”
Yesterday, I realized that I had been driving around for 2 days with my low gas light on in my car. (According to my friend Denise, the fact that I wait until the last minute to fill my tank is information for a whole other blog!!) Every time I saw the light, I got that panicked feeling in my belly that my car was going to run out of gas in the middle of the freeway and I would be THAT person causing a traffic jam. Yet, just as the uncomfortable feeling would start, I would replace it with a belief that I could put off going to the gas station for just a couple more miles so that I could run that extra errand and put off the boring chore of pumping gas.
Finally I rolled into the gas station on fumes and took the 10 minutes out of my day to fill my tank. As I was standing in the warm sunshine, I took a deep breath and recognized this activity not as a dreaded "must do", but rather a valuable opportunity to ground my feet into the earth, straighten my spine, take a deep breath and come into the moment. It was my time to actually incorporate a mini mediation into my day and after I was finished at the pump, I returned to the car calm and happy. I had actually filled up two tanks....my car's tank and my own!
For those of you who find it terribly hard to take 30 minutes to meditate, try this. Reframe the routine mini activities in your day as precious opportunities to come into stillness and the present moment. Waiting in the grocery line, driving to work, walking the dog or taking a shower could all be mini-mediation moments. So stop putting off filling your own tank up because you think you do not have enough time or patience. Seize those little moments and release your inner zen.
