So I wanted to share a cute albeit annoying distraction that occurred during one of my recent efforts to improve my meditation practice. I was distracted by a meowing kitty prowling back and forth across my lap before settling down and wondering why meditation doesn’t include petting the cat.
Yet this was, in fact, a perfect opportunity to remember that meditation is not about emptying your mind, but rather about being mindful of what is going on in your mind. And while it is hard to not be mindfully aware of the cat on my lap, it was nevertheless a reminder that life can and often does interrupt meditation practices as well as self-care practices.
The opportunity then became to remember that it is important to be patient with these interruptions so that you can stay focused on the ultimate goal of better meditation and better self-care. So while the cat could headbutt me as much as she wants, she wasn’t going to break my meditation practice before it was over.
And to her credit, she helps plenty with my mental illnesses as well (see Hi, I Chase Away Mice, and Sometimes Your Depression).
At least that is one of my challenges with meditation, but I am curious to hear your challenges and how you overcome them.
And as always, thanks for reading. Be well
P.S. This happened again this morning while trying to meditate. Darn cat won’t let me be mindful!
The Dark Tales Project 