Hurry Up and Meditate

Hurry up and meditate, I'm thinking as I sit in half-lotus, willing myself to quiet down and connect with the source. Wow, that's really taking things to extremes. How can you meditate in a hurry? Isn't the whole point to SLOW DOWN? Quiet the rushing stream of thoughts and make the world disappear, at least for a little while? I realize the insanity of this thinking and manage an internal chuckle, but it doesn't lessen the desire to hurry through the process. n nWhere am I going in such a hurry? Where is my life headed that I need to get there so fast? Sooner or later, we're all headed for the same end, and perhaps the rushing about distracts me from remembering this. If I don't look, I won't see. If I slow down, I might encounter my own mortality. I mean, that's where we're all headed, right? So why the rush? Why not slow down and appreciate the journey?n nWhen I do reach my journey's end, will I remember anything I saw on the path? Or will I just remember how much I accomplished and that I did it all really fast? When I am saying goodbye for the last time to everything, will I be thinking about how much I did, or how well I lived? About how efficient I was or about how well I loved, how much I felt, and how many moments of true connectio I fostered. Does it seem to you that life is speeding up? It seems to me the more I do and the faster I go, the less I'm there.n I'm trying to slow down, and I invite you to join me. I'm ...nn

• Meditating every day, luxuriating in the quiet, slow pace of my breath, the relaxation of my body, and the peace in my heart. n
• Doing everything more slowly, like I had all the time in the world. I'm pretty sure it's not taking me any longer, and I know I'm enjoying my responsibilities a whole lot more. n
• Relishing the moment, wherever I am - especially the moments I'm tempted to hurry through. I notice them as opportunities to test my resolve. n
• Driving more slowly. This is really hard. I'm working on it. n
• Doing more things I enjoy -- moments of pure pleasure. n
• Noticing the Ki Moments of my life. What I write about here. Really doing it. Life is short. Live those moments now. They will not come again. nn