More on Meditation

It's interesting. Apparently happiness has 3 paths.

The first is the giving of oneself to others; being a mom or volunteering or that feeling when taking part in a random act of kindness.

The second is dedicating oneself to one's  life purpose; to act or sing or raise a family or be Gandhi or whatever.

The third is to experience moments that bring happiness; dinner with friends, a great movie, skiing, 52firsts...

Some bring deeper, more sustained levels. But all are important.

And so, I continue to search, to long for, to uncover, to discover more meaning, my purpose. And in the meantime, I try to distract, turn over the rocks around me that may help me uncover my heartsong. I've talked about this in earlier posts, I think...  

Fiftytwo Firsts is part discovery, part distraction. 

With the shorter days and colder weather, I have lately had a little less zest.  And so, I am less inclined to distraction and more inclined to turn within. Which is why this week's first was really about continuing on my journey of inner peace and tranquility. 

I know that my mediation practice allows me to slough off stress and there have been windows where I feel a light within and a contentment and a feeling of whole ness. But those feelings ebb and flow with life's tides.

So, it is in times like these where I recognize more than ever that I need not look to the external world for happiness but to come back to myself.

As such, I went for the first time ever to the meditation center of which I have been a member for 18months but have never stepped foot.

I swear I am a pragmatist, a realist even. But when I walked into this squat little building off the highway, surrounded by industrial land, the air and the energy shifted around me. It was light, effervescent, warm, clear, harmonious, still but not stagnant. It was weird.

I pulled off my shoes and sat on the couch and waited for the other meditators to arrive. And as I chatted to the teacher, I found myself talking slowly and thoughtfully and softly. I felt relaxed and sleepy, at ease, peaceful, still and we hadn't even meditated yet!

As we came out of our meditation 20 minutes later I felt surrounded by silent acceptance. Everybody else in the room must have been 30 years my senior (probably having learned at the same time the Beatles made this practice famous), but it didn't matter, we were all on the same level, part of a community; a deep level of understanding and trust between us.

And I felt whole and I felt happy.

Maybe there is a fourth path to happiness?