["and sing ting aling aloo" the title is inspired by, but unrelated to, the Benny Hill song, worth a listen for a daftness] 

Perhaps meditating isn’t your thing. Many people (I was in that camp) feel it doesn’t work. I believed it was adding nothing, then realised it had been working the first time I felt overwhelmed and defeated. I remembered that I’d stopped doing it not long before.

There’s absolutely nothing magical. It’s just learning to take a little holiday, most days, around the same time. And whilst you’re doing that, saying “Hi washing machine, I can hear you rumbling”, saying “Hello to you intrusive thought, get in the queue”, uttering inside “Hello worry, I will tend to you in due course but step in line for now pal”, remembering to stare strongly at anxiety and stating “Time gentlemen please”.  Each time your ‘holiday’ is interrupted by these things, use the sound of your breath to reset the situation to holiday mode.  

Press one finger into your ear gently if you need to discover the sound of your breath. If you practice meditation a bit, that sound will become your reset button in many situations.

The practice of sitting down with my eyes closed for just ten minutes daily, did serve me well over a year or two. Then I drifted. But I find that this miraculous little learned friend arrives back at the most unexpected moments. And it is so welcomed. 

A bus drove back along the road. Late in the day, I like to think it was on its homeward journey. And as it drove by, everything else was quiet. I felt myself say “bus going by” inside my head and then I breathed in and released it. I found myself having a little tension release. And I knew I was meditating without knowing it. I just did it. Another little win. 

I think the popular phrase now is ‘being mindful’. I don’t mind confessing that I ‘m not a fan of that phrase. But I certainly enjoy having a little holiday. That is a wonderful thing. 

Love from

The room above the garage

A Moodscope member.