 I'm pretty hopeless at meditating. I just don't seem to be able to
slow down and focus my mind sufficiently to get the benefits from it.
I have, however, found that certain focused activities do get me into a state that is very relaxed, open and attentive:
- My 5k runs, three times a week, in an oval in my back yard, free from traffic and distractions (other than curious wildlife).
- Repetitive outdoor chores like power-washing the decks and mowing and trimming the grass.
- At night, falling asleep and letting go of the concerns of the day.
These are all easy, effortless tasks that let my mind wander, so
perhaps I do get close to a meditative state while I'm doing them.
What I like to do in this state is not meditation but rather intention.
This entails thinking in detail, step by step, about how I am going to
do something (something easy and certain and enjoyable), in the near
future. I wrote about my mid-year intentions recently, and these are what I think about. These thoughts are not fantasies, wishful thinking or resolutions. They are realizations
, thoughts about things I am in the process of doing, and that I am certain of completing. They are stories in process.
I generally start with short-term (next day or few days)
intentions and then if time permits move to longer term (next few
months) intentions -- beyond that is too far for reasonable certainty,
and premature for intention. One day at a time.
So my current meditative intentional thoughts are about:
- the completion of my book on working naturally and Natural Enterprise (three weeks from now)
- meeting new people and learning from them, listening to them, appreciating them, being open to them (every day)
- my new position, as executive with a large, influential and
trusted professional association, and the opportunities it will give me
to help entrepreneurs succeed sustainably, responsibly, joyfully, on
their own terms (starts next week)
- showing people how their work, and their lives, can be easier, simpler, and happier (every day)
- living a simpler, healthier life, trusting my intuition and my
emotions and my senses, learning from nature and from just paying
attention to what is happening, how things work, why things are the way
they are, what it all means, and what I can do to adapt and evolve and
help others adapt and evolve to cope with it and to influence things in
small, positive ways (whenever the occasion arises)
- imagining possibilities, both for their own sake (as a writer of
imaginative fiction) and to see how those possibilities might make the
world a better place, at least for those I love in my communities, and
perhaps serve as models for others
These are delightful thoughts, full of joy, discovery, learning,
creation, letting go and letting come, letting things emerge and make
sense. If our life is a movie we each star in, I'm looking at
tomorrow's script, and learning and rehearsing my lines.
James
Taylor said "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time". He's
exactly right, but it's so very hard to learn to do it, and to get
yourself into a situation, by simplifying your life, where you can do
it. With my intentional thoughts, I get to enjoy these 'passages' twice
-- once as I intend them, and again when they occur.
I don't know if this is anything like meditation. The word
'meditation' means to 'turn over', to take appropriate measures, to
consider and do what needs to be done. The word 'intend' means to
stretch towards. Perhaps my 'intentional meditation' is too decided,
not sufficiently considered. While I'm thinking, I certainly can
imagine possible obstacles to achieving my intention, but I imagine, at
almost the same time as these obstacles occur to me, natural workarounds for them.
What do you think? Am I on to something, or too self-confident for
my own good? And is this really meditation, or is it a poor substitute, for
those unable to slow down and consider fully and thoughtfully?
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MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
