Recently I received this email from a long-time reader of my newsletter:
Stacey,
So you would be so proud of me – and I owe this to you! I did some meditating today as I found myself anxious and unaware of what I was so antsy about. I realized I didn’t want to go to Paris with my friend J….I wanted to go with my husband D! I was struggling with this, as it was the first time D ever suggested I go on an adventure alone (and I wanted to encourage that!!) but I knew it would not be the same without him.
I met up with my mom for a walk this afternoon and it was as if she read my mind. Before I said anything to her, she said, “Why don’t you and D plan a trip in May for your anniversary and I’ll watch the kids.” It was like I illicited all sorts of good karma to this situation….so……D and I are going to plan a trip (probably to Paris) for our 10th anniversary in May, and J is fine with it and will go with another friend in March. I don’t think I would’ve thought to meditate (which is so very very hard for me to do, by the way) if I hadn’t read your Newsletter. I want you to know you are helping people by just sending out that newsletter….THANK YOU
As I read this email, my eyes filled with tears. I was truly touched by her words and pleased that meditation helped her find the clarity she needed during her time of stress. Even with the increasing popularity of meditation, it is still a practice that “scares” many people. Meditation, when it comes right down to it, is sitting and breathing. That’s it. The quiet often stirs thoughts, things we may not want to deal with at that moment. As you can see from the example above, meditation can provide answers needed to alleviate anxious or uncertain feelings.
The writer and I exchanged a couple of emails about the experience and I learned, too, that before she sat to meditate she found herself reaching for food. She noticed the correlation – anxious feelings and food – recognized that she wasn’t hungry and instead reach for a more effective and practice – meditation. If only we all recognized this correlation perhaps we would live in a world with less stress about our eating habits.
Will she continue to meditate regularly? That I don’t know. I hope she remembers the success of this experience and reaches for meditation the next time she needs it instead of food or something else.
Life doesn’t always hand us easy to solve problems, sometimes more time and more action is needed. Often a little peace and quiet – sitting without any distraction – can help, even if you only have a few minutes. Sometimes it’s that stirring within that needs to be stirred and released, not stuffed, in order to “let it flow” and continue moving in a forward direction.
