And the survey says...

My dad knows entirely too much about everything. I texted him today to tell him a joke, and what I ended up getting was a history lesson on the Greek origins of the word 'hermaphrodite' - which actually turned out to be quite interesting. Still, I think that if he got amnesia, he'd still know more than the average person.

Anyway.

I've been spending a significant amount of time in meditation for the past few months. Meditation on God, on life, on myself, on the 'big picture' and how we're all woven together. I've been teaching guitar on Saturday mornings from 10am to 6pm, sitting in a metal folding chair the whole time. It's taken its toll on my back, so last night I found myself soaking in a hot bath.

Man, talk about peace. Picture this: you're lying on your back with your eyes closed in a tub of warm water - it's just shallow enough for your eyes, nose and mouth to be above water, but deep enough for your ears to be submerged. All you hear is your heart beat and the occasional drip from the faucet. You inhale as deeply as you can, and listen to the air flow through your chest as you exhale. You continue to breathe deeply until it becomes as steady a rythm as your heart.

The drip is gone, and you no longer feel where the water ends and the air begins. If you listen closely, you'll be able to hear the blood running through your veins, and actually feel your heart beating in your chest. You become extremely aware of the slightest movements and sounds.

Now, you wait. You don't think, you don't ponder, you don't imagine. You wait. And you listen.

Try it and let me know what happens. It's the most peaceful thing I've done in a loooong time. The cool thing is, when I sat up, I could still hear and feel my heart. I was still alert to every drop of water that fell from my body. Now, a day later, I'm still more aware of my physical surroundings - I can hear the whizzing of the fan in my PC, the buzzing of my computer monitor, the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock, the heater blowing, even the wind shuffling the trees outside. I can feel the slightest changes in temperature, and even as I type this I feel all the muscles and tendons in my forearms and hands working.

These are all things I've always heard and felt, but I've just never paid attention to, so my brain dismissed it as silence. What else am I experiencing that I'm not paying attention to? What am I missing that I could be learning from if I would just de-clutter my mind and listen?

And now, for the inconsequential.

Recommended listening:
.....- On The Radio by Regina Spektor. It's got a unique feel.
.....- That's Why They Call It Rome by Holly Palmer. It's just a great song.

Recommended viewing:
.....- If I by Demitri Martin. He's got quite a tale to tell. You can YouTube it, it's in like 6 parts.
.....- Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Just watch it. All of it. It's just a funny throw-away mini.

-R.