Meditation as a part of life

For many in the west, meditation is something to be wary of, to regard with suspicion, even to scorn. But in the East and the orient, meditation is considered to be an integral part of everyday life. Not something to be focussed upon for five, ten or even twenty minutes twice a week.

As more and more people in the west bend beneath the claims and commitments of life, and feel there is less and less time to achieve the goals they've set themselves perhaps it is time to reassess the part meditation plays in life.

Perhaps, like breathing it should become an integral part of your waking life.  Like most things, it takes work to begin with to achieve this automatic form of raising the quality of life, but in time it can become second nature.

It doesn't mean life's trials and tribulations magically disappear, they don't!  It just means that it will take longer for you to lose your cool, to raise your voice in anger, to allow the small things to build up into huge mountains of aggravation that threaten to flatten you when you feel overwhelmed by the challenges life decides to dish out for you.

It is times like these, when everything seems to be getting on top of yu, that remembering to be grateful for the good things in your lives can help to redress the balance of your emotions and attitudes. It doesn't have to be anything huge, but - like those pesky little tribulations that line up ready to take you down, if we consciously line up things to be grateful for, they in turn will help to uplift us when we need a mental friend.

For me it is daffodils that is my first line of defence when things begin to get on top of me. The are cheerful, full of the promise of summer, and bend in the wind.

What is your first line of defence when under duress?