SITTING

It was one of those mornings. I sat for 40 minutes and could not get the mind to focus. It insisted on hopping around, from thought to thought, from image to image and confused emotion... I learned (yet again!) what it means to be "driven to distraction."

Yesterday I sat with my Laguna Beach sangha on Zoom--two dozen or more little boxes filled with the faces of fellow-meditators. It was a pleasure to see old friends, with whom I have been sitting on Sunday mornings for twenty-five years and more. We were guided once more in meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, whose familiar firm and calming voice allowed me to slip easily into fully focused attention and stay there for the duration of the sit. I am grateful, always, for his guidance, as well as for the community.

Another week of isolation lies ahead. I have lost count of how many there have been, and have no idea, of course, how many more we must expect. This time of uncertainty is visited upon us, reminding us of the most essential truth about our lives: we can be sure of nothing, everything is in flux, and the best thing we can do is to learn to be with uncertainty and change without "losing our minds."