The meditation starts out with some deep breathing, then asked me to close my eyes and imagine that I am about to take a walk. I know that I'm going to see beautiful sites and have new experiences and I'm looking forward to going. First I make sure I'm prepared, I have on good walking shoes, some water in case I get thirsty, perhaps a sweater in case it gets cold.
I notice that in each of my pockets, I'm carrying rocks each signifying a past experience. Each one holds meaning and was picked up for a specific purpose, but for now these rocks weight me down, they keep me from stepping lightly and I will get tired carrying them around.
I start taking each rock out and setting it down and take a step, another step another rock, each time releasing the weight that I've been carrying until I feel lighter and I realize that what we carry with us can serve a purpose, but sometimes it can weigh us down and hold us back. I'm prompted to examine the weight I carry and set aside what isn't useful to me in my life right now.
Sometimes I carry these rocks around like a badge of honor. No one can carry these rocks the way I do. I can't allow anyone else to help me carry these rocks because they won't care for the rocks as I do, they'll allow them to fall out of their pockets and break on the ground, or they will lose them along the way.
But the longer I carry these rocks, the heavier they become until I can no longer stand from the weight and I can no longer walk or enjoy life. I'm so busy worrying about these rocks that I don't see the beauty around me and I start feeling anger towards the carefree people I see floating through life without the weight of any rocks.
What I learned through this meditation is that I need to let go...
 |
| Let goooooooo. |
I need to remind myself this week to "let go". To take notice of the things that weigh me down and write them down and get rid of the things that aren't useful to me in my life, the things that make me angry and bitter and make life heavy.
How heavy are the rocks that you are carrying and why do you carry them?
Deep breathing is of utmost importance in our health, and it's easy to control. The 'rocks' we carry are various and not always easy to let go. Clutter , for instance, we think - no problem - but we soon find out we're attached to things, and it's difficult to get rid of them. The flat I live in is a big rock; not suitable to my age. So far, nothing on the horizon for me, and it lays heavy. I could give some more examples, but you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteI do understand. I've never been a minimalist, I love odds & ends and books, but it was controlled. When my mom came to live with me about 15+ years ago she came with a lot of "stuff" and when we moved back into my childhood home after I bought it from her and my dad mom considered it her home and she did get rid of a lot, but through the years she has filled it again and I've come to realize that's one of the rocks that I am carrying, the clutter. I fill up boxes & bags to take to a thrift store and mom looks through them & takes stuff out to give to so and so and then later she forgets she got it from me and she gives them back to me and the whole thing starts over again! It's crazy. Someday I hope to get everything back under control, but it's not easy.
Delete