Meditation 6


Fifteen minutes today.

A quiet place in the house – usually the sofa, blinds closed. I start out with the Lord’s Prayer taught to me when I was a little girl. I pray for health mercies, traveling

mercies, peace-of-mind mercies, companionship mercies, finding a job mercies and so on for family and friends.mindfulness - iStock_000037220282Small

Single word-concepts come to me: Love. I pray love four breaths in, four breaths out, repeat. Then joy comes into my mind, four breaths in, four breaths out, repeat. More words come like beads on a chain – health, peace, gratitude, companionship, touchmusic, peace, fun, love, joy.

A thought comes in about a task. I shoo it away. Focus on breathing – four counts in and four counts out. The rhythm soothing…becoming a hum – an utterance that surrenders me totally.

I am centered. I am silent. I have stopped. The stopping is the point. The silence is the magic. I like it here.
Alarm rings. Fifteen minutes. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll do 20. Perhaps soon I’ll do two sessions – one to begin my day, another to end it.

Focusing is threading itself through my life. Even did it on the T the other day to remove from a boisterous group.

Now the noise of the day can come. I’m ready.


About Candelaria Silva

Candelaria Silva-Collins is a marketing, community outreach and programming consultant; writer; and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, facilitation, job search skills, team building, and parenting issues. She currently coordinates the Community Membership Program of the Huntington Theatre Company. Her work as Director of ACT Roxbury was profiled in several publications, including The Creative Communities Builders Handbook. Candelaria’s children’s stories, short stories, essays and reviews have been published in local and national publications and she is an active blogger. Her publications include the booklets, Handling Rejection; Pushing through Shyness: Networking Tips when You’re Shy, Slow to Warm Up or Just don’t Feel you Belong; and Real Questions about Sex & Relationships for Teens: A Discussion Guide for Parents. She has served on the boards of Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston Foundation for Architecture, and Discover Roxbury. She is currently Chair, Designators of the Henderson Foundation.

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6 thoughts on “Meditation

  • Donna

    Dearest CAndelaria, I know that we don’t know each other very well, but I think of you as such a strong and balanced person, a person who knows herself. I’m in a bit of an emotional bind right now and I’m wondering if you would include me in your meditations and prayers, for strength to find clarity, to find some peace. Thank you.

    Donna

    • Candelaria Silva Post author

      Thank you for the request. I have already added you to my list of people I’m praying for. Like all human beings, I am strong and weak. I do try mightily to balance and am in a good place with that right now but don’t want to say that too loud because the universe might overhear and test me yet again. Thanks for reaching out. The first step toward healing/repairing is admitting that you need help.

    • Candelaria Silva Post author

      Yes. To be safe. Our Father is part of my DNA and it doesn’t even occur to me to meditate without it. Meditation is not religious – it is spiritual. Thanks for reading my post and for taking the time to leave a comment.

  • Carolyn

    After reading this piece the word that popped into my mind was “gratitude.” I’m going to add this practice to my morning bike ride.Thank you.