Weed (s)

I over-meditate. 

I still have no official job (although, I now have an offer), but I do work a solid 10 hours a day, regardless.

Let me define work (in my terms): n. anything that contributes to the advancement of my commitments in life.   ex. At work today I sat on my ass and explored the different realms of the universe.

I’m joking, but don’t laugh. 

Depending on how you sit, it may be the best investment of your life. Practicing meditation routinely has been the greatest work I have done in a long time. 

As I continue the journey of a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I have been blessed to have felt some amazing transformations. 

#1 being, I love who I am and where I am today. 

= a benefit of over-meditation.

What do I mean by this? Well, over the average 10 hours a day I work, 4 of them are dedicated to meditation or activities of spirituality. Some examples are, but not limited to, guided meditation in the mornings, unguided meditation by the river or in nature, reading Paulo Coelho, watching Deepak Chopra’s you-tube clips, yoga & stretch, running, and reflection.

One particular day last week, I was at Rockwood Park sitting by the river with my little sister, Amanda. We had just finished a game of catch and were ready to plop down next to our already exhausted dog under the shade of a weeping willow tree. I asked her if she wouldn’t mind me taking 30 minutes to do some meditation.

Before I got started, we sat down and Amanda pointed out a thick weed that was growing in front of us. “Look at all of it’s thorns” she said and I looked in agreement at the spiky plant the world had planted before us.

It was then that I meditated on weeds...(not weed, although I suppose that would also reveal similar outer-being experiences). However, I prefer to get high with a little help from my friends, Deepak & Rumi. 

Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that most people’s general reaction to weeds is:

Bad.

Ugly.

Remove.

But take a minute and step back. Reflect. 

Call me Buddha, but a weed has a soul.  Maybe, being born as human beings, we have a bigger purpose in life. But, weeds, too, have a soul; a reason for being; a little purpose in life- to survive, to grow, even to proliferate. Sure, they have spiky thorns, as Amanda pointed out...

But don’t we, as human beings, as well?

Who are we? We are us. We are, who we are. Well, wait a minute... who do you think you are? Are you conscious of that? Because what I have realized, is that sometimes we are not sure. Or sometimes we forget. Or sometimes, we forget to look. 

A lot of the time, society tells us who we are. We grow thorns and we forget about our soul. Overtime, we have been conditioned by society...by external factors...usually, subconsciously.

Our parents tell us, “we need an education”...go to the best University, right after high school, study business- so we invest $40,000 in the system.

Society tells us, “we need a job”...to have insurance, to save- so we lock ourselves in cubicle-cages.

Bars tell us “you’ll have a good time”...to drink, relax, & have fun- so we go out, we drunk text & then lose our cell phone. 

And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that.

*Those are our thorns coming out*

...our protection/our safety & security

...our coping mechanisms. 

But, what is important, is that we remember who we are at heart.

Behind all this, 

Who are we?

Why are we here?

What are our commitments in life?

It is important to remember to be conscious about that. Don’t become a thorny, prickly mess, without remembering your soul.

Meditate - on weeds.

...not on weed.