Buddha in Training?

I read an article this morning about the power of meditation in relation to getting what you want out of life. (Stick with me here - I know you're already picturing bald monks.) According to the author, Deepak Chopra, by taking some time to quiet your mind and visualize your aspirations, you are increasing your odds of accomplishing them. Hmmm.....

The concept of meditation first became interesting to me after reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert . Gilbert finds healing and hope through the practice of discovering and listening to her spiritual self. Now, I let the idea of trying this for myself slip away because Gilbert traversed to India and wrote a book about her spiritual journey - I don't have a few spare years to trek the globe in search of MY spiritual self! So I reluctantly finished the book (it's a fabulous read, I'm always sad when those are over) and failed a promise to myself to at least try and "quiet" my mind before sleep. I don't think taking Tylenol PM counts.

Enter Mr. Chopra. I'm rather fascinated with him right now and his outside-the-box- thinking - I'm reading his book Life After Death, The Burden of Proof. It's not that his ideas are wildly far-fetched, it's that they are completely foreign to the Western Hemisphere's idealogical teachings. To me, that's a good read; because really, who's to say who's right when it comes to religion and spirituality?

But I'm getting off track - back to this morning. I find this article on a favorite website of mine, one that Chopra happens to blog on a couple times a week. I'm especially intrigued to read the comments other readers wrote about how meditation has worked for them. That by clearing their minds, they have found the solution to any number of difficulties in life.

I'm reading this and thinking about how what I really want is to figure out how to find a new job. I know exactly what I want to do, I just don't know how to get there. Could it possibly be so simple as sitting still for a few minutes and thinking about it? I resist the urge to call myself crazy, remembering that in many parts of the world, meditation is as much a part of a normal day as eating.

So I sit. I close my eyes. All I can hear are the windchimes and the hum of the air conditioner. And it's nice, actually. Then my back starts to hurt and I wonder if meditation HAS to be done in a cross-legged, straight-backed position. So I lay. I stretch out and quiet my mind. I force myself to forget my to-do list. I'm really feeling relaxed and, well, focused.

Until I'm interrupted by the insanely obnoxious sound of Bobbi Sue licking her butt. This is followed with a chorus of barking as the road maintainer comes roaring past our house, prompting both dogs to warn the driver not to come IN the house.

Well, 4 minutes is a good start, right?