Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, a book by Dan Harris

I retired on May 31.  I had the idea that I would JUMP into retirement and do all the things that I never did before because I didn't have the time.  That didn't happen, and I am working on getting it together.  One of the things that is helping me is a book recommended by my friend: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris.  My friend recommended this book a few years ago, but, of course, I didn't have the time to read it.  (Note: I did have the time!!!  I was afraid of failing.  To be perfectly honest, I was afraid that I would spend my super duper valuable time on the book and then fail.  Isn't that silly?) 

 The book is brilliant!  I'm only 60 pages in, but it has been quite a revelation.  I am fidgety.  I can't just sit and read the  newspaper...there's so much else I should be doing!  It's always amazing to realize that one is not alone, and I now know that my fidgety habits are shared by many of us.

 This brings me to an entirely different topic:  why study English Literature?  Yes, that was my major in college, much to my mother's dismay.  "What are you going to do with THAT?" said the medical doctor.  I didn't have an answer except that I loved it, and that in itself seemed valuable.  Anyway, I'll never forget one course devoted to medieval literature.  Early on, our professor asked us, "Why do we study literature?"  The answer: to know that we aren't alone, and that the feelings, worries, experiences we are having have been around forever.  We are not alone.  My experiences in common with Harris's, and the potential to control some of my fidgety behavior, are great reasons to read this book and to work on practicing meditation.  

 I'm excited!

Comments

  1. BillJune 28, 2019 at 3:25 PM

    Stating boldly that you DID have the time is a step is seeing what actually is and knowing that you see it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blonde and Skinny and Fake

I admit that I spend more time than I should thinking about how I look.  I don't know about you, but I was indoctrinated at a very early age.  Like many newborns, I had blonde hair at birth.  That blonde hair usually doesn't last.  It didn't last on me.  I don't know exactly when it happened, but I remember that my mother poured peroxide over my hair when it started getting dark.  Now, my mother was an educated woman; she received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Illinois in 1943.  But, even an educated woman apparently wanted her first child to remain a blonde.  For years, she went to the drug store to get some Miss Clairol Blonde formula with which to keep me bright and beautiful (in her eyes, anyway).  I don't know how she found the time, but it must have been quite the priority for her.  This was a woman with a medical practice in our home who was very often called away to deliver babies.  Looking back, I am ...
Read more

A Raccoon Pooped in My Birdseed

We have a covered patio at the back of our house.  It's great for morning coffee, afternoon wine, bird-watching, and just enjoying the peace and quiet.  Our patio has some plants, a small table and chairs, and a supply of birdseed in a large covered plastic container.  The patio is adjacent to our bedroom.    I'm normally a pretty heavy sleeper, but one night I was awakened by a noise outside our bedroom window.  It was coming from the patio.  Of course, I woke up my husband, "Bill, there's SOMETHING OUT THERE!!!"  I ran to the kitchen to turn on the patio light.  By the time I got the light on, the raccoon was retreating.  He/she/it got away quickly.  When we checked the patio the next day, there was no sign of damage.  No problem. The next night, I heard it again; same deal, raccoon got scared and scurried into the night.  The following morning, I saw the damage.  The raccoon had gotten the lid off the birdseed....
Read more

Body image

When I was young, less than 15 years old young, I had a monster metabolism.  I could eat like mad and never gain any weight.  At one point my mother considered having me tested to see if I was harboring a tape worm.  It was that crazy.  One day, everything changed and I started packing on the pounds with no effort at all.  These new pounds were particularly attracted to my thighs, a trend that has continued. Even when I was a tiny, skinny little thing, I was always worried about how I looked.  When all the other girls started growing in all the appropriate places, I remained horrifyingly flat chested. At that age when I thought everyone was checking me daily to see if I had sprouted the necessary equipment, every day was another disappointment.  Adolescence; has anyone lived through it unscathed?  What was wrong with me and my stupid body? I survived the savagery of adolescence, but I never lost the feeling that the world would be a ...
Read more