Watching the cars go by…
The world has changed. And regardless of your current job or profession, my guess is that life feels profoundly different than it did at the beginning of March. And whether or not you are the sort of person who digs deep into emotions, reflects on your thoughts, or simply lives day-to-day and takes things as they come, the past few months have forced many of us to pause, reflect, and take stock.
One of my foundational beliefs is that mindfulness is an important ingredient in a life well lived. Mindfulness can take many forms. At its core, I see mindfulness as a state of mind that remains grounded in the present. Paying attention to the here and now. That’s a challenge for someone like me who tends toward the future - constantly setting goals, strategizing, dreaming. While I aspire to be mindful, I sometimes find that I don’t have the tools to do so.
Enter meditation.
A year ago I set a goal (of course) to lean into meditation. I wanted to do more than read about meditation, and move into actually doing it. I researched, I asked around, and I landed with Headspace, a cool app that approached mediation in a pretty straightforward manner with plenty of options. As COVID19 continued to shape the world around me, I moved deeper into Headspace.
I like stats, so here are mine as of today:
Current run streak: 77 days
Total time meditated: 65 hours
Sessions completed: 248
Average duration: 16 minutes
What have I learned? I’ve come to realize that meditation is less about developing skills or “lessons learned.” It is about being present. Using breathing to center myself. And being more aware of thoughts without being hijacked by them.
I sometimes imagine thoughts to be cars going by. I watch them and note them, and then let them drive past me. But sometimes those cars, those thoughts, drive by very slowly. They might even stop, roll down the windows, and beckon me to chat for awhile. Some thoughts even encourage me to jump in and take a ride. And if at first I don’t jump in, they occasionally drive around the block, circling a few times. And the other day, I am pretty sure one turned into an entire tour bus.
I am getting better about watching thoughts drive by. At least, I am a little more intentional about when to jump in and take a ride. I am going to call that progress. The other day someone asked how I was taking care of myself as a person and as a school leader, especially at a time when we are all inundated with information and facing decision-fatigue. Meditation is helping me focus on what matters most and has become an essential part of self-care.
How do you stay grounded in the present? What are your tools? How do you resist thoughts driving by?