Have You Met LIFE Today?

/ roughwighting

dawnWhat have you been doing all morning?

Well, um, I’ve been busy.

With what?

I woke up late, I admit. Almost 5:30 a.m. But for the next 15 minutes I stretched my body… and my mind.

What do you mean?

Every morning I meditate and practice my bed yoga poses, but once my brain starts stirring, I stir up trouble. I think of everything I should be doing. What I want to write. If I’ll have time for dance class.  My next writing prompt for my class. How many deviled eggs I should make for Sunday.

Stop. STOP! All that in 15 minutes?

Oh, there’s much, much more. You asked me to stop.

I wouldn’t call that meditation.

What would you call it?

I’d call it wasting your time.

Jeez, you don’t pull any punches.

Why would I punch you? Make love, not war.

Did YOU come up with that slogan?

God. No.

Well, who did?

I just told you. God. No, not me.

You know God?

You don’t?

Who are you again?

Who do you think I am?

I think I’m going crazy, sitting here in the cross legged position, palms together, trying to not think.

Don’t think. Do.

Do what?

Do what you do.

What do I do?

What you do every day. Rise. Stretch. Look out the window and celebrate the new day. And then go about doing what you do.

Who are you again?

You meet me every day. Don’t worry, you’re up to the challenge.

Prompt: Write a story from an advertising slogan.

110 thoughts on “Have You Met LIFE Today?”

  3. Good morning Pam,
    You are having some fun conversation going there. My brain engage after having greeted the morning. Sun shining over ancient land, coffee brewing and then I sit down with breakfast in the sunshIne room and read what my friends are up to.😊🦋🌺
    Happy Easter
    Miriam

    Liked by 2 people

    • Ahhhh, sun shining over ancient land. That just takes my roaming, roving mind to green valleys with fairies and dwarves hopping from cottage to cottage, knocking on doors with bouquets of flowers and cups of herbal tea. Oh oh, there I go again. Happy Easter. Happy Spring. Happy Roving to you, Miriam.

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  5. Haha! I didn’t sleep in this morning. My mind was ticking through today’s to-do list at 3:45 a.m. I tried to quiet it long enough to give me one more hour of sleep but here I am. On my second cup of coffee and it is 5:00. Met life too early today. Up to the challenge but not sure how long I’ll last. Will need a nap by 2PM and that is going to be awkward since I work today. Happy Easter my friend! – Molly

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  12. Meditating is hard work.
    Getting our thoughts to settle down is no easy feat ~> it’s like herding cats. 😀

    Watch that monkey mind
    Racing, racing, all the time
    Sit still and just be

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  13. Hi Pam,

    great conversation. I like to meditate every morning.15 minutes every morning.That is the best way to start my day. I have similar conversation with my subconscious. I told to my subconscious before my bed time “Ask me couple questions “. In the morning I wrote the questions and presented it on my blog in the post “Interview with Ben Aqiba”

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  14. Rise, look out over the green valleys of Lincoln’s rolling hills –
    Do a series of short exercises for ‘Arthur’ and me –
    Cup of coffee, look at a picture of my Mom on the den’s book shelf –
    Silently say the ‘Lord’s Prayer –
    Have a quick and simple breakfast –
    Open the laptop and allow the madness to begin!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. That’s exactly how my meditation would go if I were to do it more often. Often after yoga, I’ll lay in corpse pose for some time and try to quiet my mind. But it doesn’t want to be quiet. It wants to scream at me with all the things I need to do. 😄

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  18. Loved your inner conversation for all to read. Aren’t we amazing creatures????
    I use Insight Timer—a free app with zillions of meditations or just wonderful pieces of music—all set up by how much time you have—-
    5 -10 – 20 minutes—it’s a real help to calm the monkey mind!!!
    Happy Easter to you and yours 🌸

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    • I’ll have to check that one out, Pat. I have the Simply Being app on my phone, and I must say, it does quiet those playful monkeys a bit. Life hums along with the soft chants. 🙂

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  19. I see you answer your own questions, a sure sign of sanity!

    This morning I woke up disturbed because of a frustrating dream that wove in a bicycle, a plane stuck in a canal, and details from a Netflix movie last night. I played some Easter music this morning, Swiffered the floors with Hubs help, so I don’t need to attend Pilates, which involved stretchy rubber sashes yesterday … still sore.

    Happy Easter to you and your extended family, Pam!

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  20. You’re up to the challenge, girlfriend. It’s funny how often we think meditation is about ending thoughts. I’m learning it’s more about letting everything be, including all those voices in our head. (They just can’t be exclusive, like they’re always insisting they should be–just one small part of the swirling whole…)

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    • Swirling is the operative word here, Kathy. May our minds and hearts and souls continue to swirl unfettered (and once in a while, with a soothing chant of Ommmmmmmm). ❤

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    • I suppose that we should remember that a stream is always moving, sparkling, running from one rock to another, therefore, so should our own stream of consciousness! May LIFE answer all of your streaming questions, Balroop.

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  22. Enjoyed your writing prompt today. Many can relate to it . I know that conversation well. Meditation needs to be done out of bed after you are up. It can be done in quieting the mind, using an active seed thought or a quiet walking meditation.

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  26. I wake early as well and the noise of the list of things to do is deafening. I think taking 15 minutes to mediate, think quietly, be with oneself is a fabulous idea. good for you to put it into practice.

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  30. Pam, this is fabulous! So many times in my morning yoga class I have to debate myself to find that stillness. I relate to this inner dialogue and you gave me a smile! I loved this!

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    • Many thanks for the encouraging words about my monkey mind and conversation with “Life,” Debra. So, when we’re supposed to be still (inside) while doing yoga, the teacher tells us to just say quietly to ourselves “Let Goooooooooooo.” This helps….sometimes. 🙂

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  32. Why is this so familiar? That eternal ‘to do list’ keeps popping up for me too! Sometimes I think, “I’ll finish the list, and then I won’t have anything to worry about!” But it’s always there, with more ‘to dos’ than ever!

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  33. I wake up with a To Do List already starting to form in my brain. I used to try to meditate early in the morning and it was an angsty disaster. I came to realize that later in the day my monkey brain is so tired that I can sit and think of nothing, so I attempt to be zen then.

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  35. I’m dealing with jet lag so I am trying to mediate at midnight or should I say I am trying to go to sleep. Have a wonderful Easter holiday.

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  38. Love this conversation, Pam. They say when you meditate don’t block the thoughts (or the talks). Accepting them is the only way. No backing down. No contest. Accept, and walk past 🙂 Happy Easter.

    Liked by 3 people

  41. I do the same crazy thinking in the mornings. When I catch myself, I try to be more intentional with my thoughts like how happy and satisfied I’ll be when I accomplish such-and-such task or job. But it is so easy to make ourselves feel like we’re not doing enough!

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    • That’s perhaps the most frustrating thing in my life, Kate. That I’m not content to just BE. I feel I must always be DOing. May LIFE help us get over that misconception. xo

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  42. Life can get pushy like that sometimes. And sometimes we – or at least, I – need it! I am currently working on a MS that I’ve been very busy procrastinating over, but I do like that idea of using an advertising slogan as a prompt. I shall ponder …. Jeanne

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    • My creative writing class and I found lots of inspiration from different slogans, like “Got Milk?” and “Just Do It.” As far as that last slogan, I also did a prompt with one word last week: Procrastination. Wow, did that produce a lot of stories!!! 🙂

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  43. Love this post about your thoughts when you start your day. I think we are all a bit like that in the morning…bit sleepy yet we want to get about our day and wonder what to do first. I like your comment above to Kate – that we just BE as opposed to DO. Sometimes there is only so much we can do, and there will always be someone else who will just do more…and no reason why we need to be in a competition. So just enjoy ourselves and being ourselves 🙂

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  44. Sounds exactly like my mornings…but I do manage to get the Treadmill in…and the bed made. Does that count as a day’s work. Yes, Monkey Brain…a little tidbit from Natalie Goldberg…I figure if she can have it, so can I and perhaps you also…Enjoy this cloudy day.

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  45. Pam, every time I try to get Life to pump the brakes a bit and slow down (especially in the morning), I just get laughed at for a response. Life waits for no one…it just keeps pushing forward. I’ve at least negoiated a bit of “me time” during each day…but then it makes sure I get back up to speed immediately thereafter!

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  46. Cute… loved the conversation! …nothing (brain or body) turns on for me in the morning before about 8:00am. Neither my Yorkie nor I do mornings. Hubby says “Neither of y’all are morning puppies!” I need to wake up and get a cup of coffee and roam around the house for a few minutes before I can think straight. My hubby knows not to tell me something he wants me to remember before 9:00am and I know not to tell him anything I need HIM to remember after 9:00pm LOL! If it is important, write it down! 😉

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    • I was forced into enjoying early mornings by my kids. My son was born believing that he should never miss a sunrise (although now, he groans because HIS boys feel the same way). But I must admit, I love being up before the sun. It’s quieter, I can write with no distractions, and by 10 a.m., I don’t feel guilty for taking a dance or yoga or walk break. On the other hand, I’m sure I’ve gone to bed long before you even take your first evening yawn!!! 🙂 And I promise, I won’t bother you until the sun’s been up at least three hours. xo

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  49. Omg haha laughing 😂 enjoyed reading 📖 this story 🙂 can relate myself too 👋😀
    Ps. Do u really wake up 5:30 and do stretching? I’m usually doing 30-40 min stretching qi gong, but only evenings, in mornings- only yoga 🙂

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  50. Pam, that sounds like my brain whirring away!! 😀😀 I woke early this morning, a to do list charging like the clappers through my mind … thank you for this reminder to stop and celebrate the morning. It’s wonderfully sunny out, warm, Spring in all its glory! Here’s to quiet thoughts and being! Hugs xx

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  51. Bed yoga, yes. That’s for me.
    Seriously though, I love that sleepy early morning time. I often ponder my dream (or write about it in my nearby journal). But I’m so often pulled from my reverie as nature calls, and she is terribly impatient. I envy you your expandable bladder.

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