This morning I decided I needed to attend the 10:00 am Silent Journey meeting. I had been attending somewhat regularly. It's an 11th step meeting: sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understand God. I needed to go and formally sit for meditation to turn over my anger and sadness related to the Hurricane Katrina mess. The anger and sadness have been taking up too much space in my mind and heart and it is messing with my serenity.
The meditation meetings are sparsely attended, 6 - 8 people usually. After meditation we share whatever we feel like, the day's meditation usually. I shared that I needed to formally turn over this stuff related to my anger and sadness concerning the people who are now struggling with their own sanity. The leader of the meeting said he was too self-centered to be concerned with others. I just shut my eyes and said a prayer of thanks and gratitude for not being given a mind like that. Some are sicker than others.
So for the rest of the day I will try really hard to not watch any of the coverage on television. The media speaks without knowing. Humans continue behaving in human ways. I can choose to stay in the middle of insanity or take measures to nurture my serenity. It really is my choice.
I told Dave I went to the meeting and was distracted by a gas powered leaf blower, his response was:
"leaf blowers can be good, quite monotonous, especially good for hurricane meditations"
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3 comments:
LOL
You actually DID use that line.
Keep coming back.
Scott, I made a conscious choice yesterday to stop watching so much coverage and replace that time with praying. I think I like best what I heard Rosie O'Donnell say one time about her own reaction to things. It reminded me then, and does now, of alcholics. She said something like, most people experience the world through a window, but I found out that my window was wide open and I didn't even have a screen in it. The pain was too intense.
I have to limit how much of this stuff I get embroiled in, or my emotions cloud what I can practically do to be of use to others. It talks a lot in the Big Book about what's better for me -- action or emotions. It clearly says that action is where it's at. So, for me, the tv is off and the prayers are on, and the donations, and the whatever else I can do to make a small difference in my own personal way.
Interestingly, in my small town in Ohio, there are a couple of families who came here to escape the storm. They had friends/relatives here. One of them came here and delivered their baby. Now, our town has set up funds just for them, and is helping them set up a life here for the time being, since it will probably be Christmastime or after before they can even begin to think about returning to the south, if they even want to.
Dave is so Zen. :)
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