Sunday, June 15, 2014
12:15pm
Duration: 10 minutes
Position: Seated lotus style on ottoman, Nick on pillow, floor.

Nick instructs me to sit tall, hold a good posture, close my eyes, and concentrate on my breathing.  I grumble a bit, annoyed because I feel he is forcing me to meditate, annoyed because we are going to be late to lunch with his family, and annoyed in general. I also wanted to paint my nails and now won’t have time.

I close my eyes, take a couple of deep breaths, straighten my back, relax into my pose.

Listen to the sounds coming in from the open window: the children playing in the garden next door, the neighbor on the other side talking in Hindi on his speakerphone in the backyard, the birds, the breeze in the trees, a distant leaf blower.

Then I hear Nick breathe in and out, slowly, deliberately, loudly.  I’m annoyed by it, and say something.  He tells me to be quiet and continue.

I listen to his breathing some more, then my mind wanders.

I start breathing slow and deep, and I pull my mind back to my breath.  I think about my posture, notice I’m slumping, and straighten my back.

I breathe.

I listen to the breeze in the trees.

I see water, cool water.  I see a lake, a boat on a lake, I see a cruise ship.

I breathe in, out.

I think about the Disney cruise trip I promised Anjali for her tenth birthday.  How do I pay for it?

Deep breath in, out.

I can save.

Breathe in, out.

So if I saved 10% of my income, that’s let’s say, $1,000 per month.

$500 per paycheck.  $250 every week.  That’s $50 per day.  That’s a lot.

Breathe in, out.

Wait, that’s assuming the work week, five days.  Split it over seven days in the week.  That works out to approximately $35 per day.

Okay.  I can do that.  I can save $35 per day.

Deep breath in, out.

I will talk to my payroll guy and set that up starting with the first paycheck in July.

Breathe in, out.

That wasn’t so hard.

The alarm goes off on Nick’s phone.  Ten minutes are up.

That was fast.  I open my eyes.

I look at him looking at me.  He asks me how it went.  I tell him to wait a minute, I close my eyes to gather my thoughts, to solidify my plan of action.

I open my eyes.

And smile at him.

I’m no longer annoyed.