I was in Cedar Rapids, IA today, sitting in a park waiting for some people who ultimately never showed up, and feeling quite stressed about things in general.
I’ve been reading about meditation on the net recently, and decided that this would be a good time to try it. I found a nice shady tree, and sat underneath it with my back and head against the trunk, and found a convenient item to contemplete: in my case, a yellow tent a few campsites down.
Almost immediately, I became aware of a few things- I could feel movement in the tree! It never occurred to me that one could feel movement in the trunk as the tree swayed gently in the breeze, but it was there, tiny, but perceptible, against my back. I listened to the breeze rustling through the leaves and trees, and then felt the movements as the tree reacted. I started to concentrate on the movements, reaching out with my senses to see if i could extend that feeling upwards, into the limbs.
I don’t know if I really succeeded, but an amazing thing happened….I felt a peaceful feeling, a calmness, that I haven’t felt…. in like ever. A clarity of thought that was startling to one as mired as I in everyday minutiae and concerns. I opened my eyes, not remembering when I had closed them, startled at the sudden greenness of the park, feeling in tune with the Earth and the breeze.
I hadn’t looked at my watch; a person in the group I was with said I had been under the tree for almost an hour. They were in fact, thinking of coming over and seeing if I was still breathing!
It’s amazing to me to have an experience so new at my age. I plan on meditiating a lot more.