I have had many people over the years say to me, “I don’t know how you can sit still enough to meditate.  I would feel so antsy – like I needed to be doing something.  I could never get my mind to stop.”  Sometimes the comments are said in admiration, but often they have an underlying meaning.  Sometimes this meaning is, “You may have time to sit around and do nothing, but I have important things to do.  What I do is important and productive and sitting still is useless and unproductive.”

I had many of the same thoughts about meditation in the beginning.  I believed my errands, emails, and meetings were so important that I couldn’t possible find the time to sit still.  Now that my life is slower, I can see the hustle and bustle of other moms around me.  I feel their stress.  I sense their overwhelmed emotions.  I can relate to their fragmented minds.  I still have those days…just not as many.

I recently read something that I LOVED:

Hurry is fear.

This racing around to get somewhere else is defended by many as enthusiasm or drive. But hurry is merely fear disguised as passion.

When you start to feel frantic, take a moment to ask yourself…

Am I having fun? Does what I am doing right now bring me joy?  Am I following my love? Am I grateful for the opportunity to do what I am doing now?

If you find yourself answering “no,” then you know you are back on the treadmill. Mentally hit the pause button. Step off the treadmill. Consider how you can bring yourself back to the present and enjoy what you are doing.

Why does  James Arthur Ray think our frantic pace is disguising our fear?  Because if we have to sit still, we may have to deal with our emotions.  We may actually have to think about what we love to do and not be told what we have to do.  We may feel insignificant.  We may feel sad.  Darn it, we may actually FEEL something, and for some, that is scary.

Chew on that for a bit…anything bubbling up?