Skip to main content

Another life changer!


And now the second book that has helped me on my path .. 10% Happier by Dan Harris is his experience with meditation.  He is humorous, witty and truly honest.  It makes my meditation practice feel much more normal than I expected.  He's got a voice that reminds me that none of this is perfect.  What matters is that we keep going.

Interesting, that's what I learned through Carry On, Warrior.  Common theme ...

And the real life changer for me was the discovery on my phone to enable my meditation practice.  I have a timer!  Who knew!  Apparently everyone else but me.  Great thing is, now I'm using it during my meditation.  I began setting it for five minutes the first few days, and then moved to 10 and now 15 minutes.  I have the timer set with the "Twinkle" chime which is not disruptive, but gently reminds me that the time is now complete.

The first time I used it I set for five minutes, closed my eyes and took a breath.  Within seconds I wondered would the alarm work?  Should I have tested it without meditating?  Oh no, I have my phone on silence, would the alarm still work?  I mean, out loud?  Talk about monkey mind - and yet when the chime went off at the five minute mark I was remarkably surprised how quickly the time went by.

So two more life changers are this book and the timer on my phone.  This may exclusively change my entire meditation practice.  When I shared the find on my phone with my daughter, she is now convinced that she too, must meditate with me to hear the chime!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Month of Miracles

photo credit:   http://marcestes.com/2011/02/11/miracles-the-need-for-the-hour/ In the tradition of continuing the commitment to writing each day, I am beginning the month of December as I have for many years…. with a passage from Simple Abundance about December. "December's gifts - custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration - come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories.  This is the month of miracles.  The oil that burns for eight days, the royal son born in a stable, the inexplicable return of Light on the longest, darkest night of the year.  Where there is Love, there are always miracles.  And where there are miracles, there is great joy. Gratefully, we weave the golden thread of .. joy in our tapestry of contentment.  At last we embrace the miracle of authenticity, changing forever how we view ourselves.  Our daily round.  Our dreams.  Our destinies.  Days we once called common, we now call hol...

#BeBrave

I found myself in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place this week.  It's taken me days to process what occurred, how I responded and how I'm choosing to move forward. In a professional environment, during an ordinary 3pm de-brief meeting I found myself being verbally attacked and disrespected by a bully.  I remained calm, spoke my mind carefully and respectfully.  It was surprising and over the next few days became increasingly unsettling. There were others in the room, and no one spoke to support me.  It has struck me as so odd, hurtful and profoundly unacceptable. Like any good drama episode written by Aaron Sorkin or JJ Abrams, let's rewind to 8 hours earlier. Once again browsing new selections in iTunes for my running mix.  I know, I get bored easily, huh?  I love how the music motivates me so I'm always on the lookout for new and upbeat songs.  I came across a feature for the new Sara Bareilles album streaming for free this weekend, so I b...

Day 19: My first job

Memories of my childhood bakery with a cannoli …. As this roller coaster ride of emotions and outpouring continues on Day 19 challenge to blog each day in the month of November for Blogember I recall my first job. I often say that when we recall the past, things that appear to have gone on forever, are often relatively short in the grand scheme of things.  After my dad passed away when I was 8, my mom remarried a year later.  By the time I was 10 they went into business together opening a neighborhood Italian bakery on the west side of the town I grew up in. This was long before the days of Carlo's Bakery where cakes cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. A bakery was a lot of hours and energy for very little profit back then.  To that end, I was cheap labor and was trained to bag rolls and make change at the cash register.  In retrospect it talk me a lot about customer service, the value of relationships in returning customers and how running a family b...