I love meditating. It clears my head for the day, gets me centered, makes me feel more focused. That being said, I've always had some problems with... distractions. Why sit quietly with your hands folded when there's a new episode of the Real World-DC? That's a question I've really asked myself before. I went to Matthaei Botanical Gardens with Justin this afternoon because of an exhibit they were holding on aromatherapy and colors, but then discovered a meditation area they'd set up. It was lovely.
Off to the side of the temperate plants area, there was a small bonsai garden with three trees, traditionally scrapped stones and a comfortable bench. Perhaps the best part, for me, there wasn't a television in sight. My old dilemma was not present at the botanical gardens.
Meditation is a very personal experience - some people visualize, other people try to clear their minds, and still others try to feel more centered and don't worry about what they're thinking. I'm generally a visualizing person. The reason for this is that my mind WILL have a picture in it at any given time. If I'm not focusing on the image of a bonsai tree or a candle then an old episode of Ren&Stimpy may pop in without warning. My mind just... likes to be doing things.
I do think, with practice, I could accomplish the other two forms of meditation, but for me that's a ways off. Meditating at the garden was not what I planned on doing as my thing of the day, but it fit together so perfectly. The garden was incredibly beautiful, very peaceful and so vibrantly alive that I felt connected to the world around me just being there. I don't know if that's something that can easily be described. What I would say is this - you have to be open to it to understand it. Everything there was beautiful - some things more than others.
I took a ton of pictures while we were walking around, mostly because I was hoping to capture some of the beauty of the things we were seeing. I think the best way to do this, since the Botanical Garden was such a tactile experience, is just to post my favorites for you all to enjoy. So... enjoy...
The garden was incredibly peaceful, which was great for me. I need to learn to stop and smell the roses sometimes. Especially now, with this project. Its important to experience these new things, but I shouldn't forget about the beauty in the things I already know about.
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