A Day of Mindfulness

This past weekend some Buddhists held a “Day of Mindfulness” in my town. I read in the newspaper announcement that they would be training people on indoor sitting meditation (bring your own mat if possible) and, weather permitting, outdoor walking meditation. Interestingly, the conference was held at the local Friends Meeting House—another group that emphasizes silence and meditation.

There are a lot of Friends, or Quakers, in this area. My daughter said to me just yesterday, “You know my friend Annie has to go like once a week and sit for two hours with her eyes shut and no one says anything. I mean, like, nothing at all. I would totally freak out after 10 minutes.” Such is the mind of an eighth-grader. Of course, unfortunately, I might freak out too after awhile. My daughter and I agreed that perhaps we could handle it if we worked up to it slowly, starting with 5 minutes a day. We also agreed that we’d have more of an incentive than some other people since there actually is a real God out there who might communicate with us if we could just be quiet for long enough to hear Him.

I wish my church would run an all-day session on how to be quiet before God while walking or sitting. I also wish they had trained me since childhood to sit in silence for at least two hours a week. I could use the help.

How are you doing on shutting down some on the noise in your life this month? Take a minute to think about what difference this new habit is making in your day and to your frame of mind. And don’t forget our January and February habits: praying 3 times a day for a few minutes and reading the New Testament 7-8 minutes a day.