For almost fifteen years we had a lovely Dalmatian named Mary Margaret. We called her Maggie.

We also called her our special needs dog. She never really learned how to heel. She was what you might, in your more altruistic moments, call busy.

Let’s put it another way. If you would have looked up the definition of K9-ADHD, you would have found a delightful photo of her grinning puppy face. She had only one switch. It was either on, as in fully-wahoo!-ON, or knackered/dozing/asleep in fully-exhausted OFF mode. Our goal each day was to exhaust her so we could expend some of that doggie anxiety.

My mind reminds me of Maggie. “Ooo, look!…shiny thing! Is that a bug? Rainbow. I wonder how I could rewrite that paragraph? Did you see the rainbow? Did you say a trip to Mexico?”

I have been known to roll out of bed, walk straight to a picture on the wall, remove it from the hook and wander about deciding where it might look better. Pre-cappuccino!

To counter my Maggie-like tendencies – I meditate almost every day. I try not to beat myself up if I miss because I’m on a cycling trip or something else gets in the way, but I’d say roughly 85% of my days include a 30-minute session.

In these sessions, I watch my Maggie-mind chatter and circle and pivot, but almost every time I sit I have moments when my mind clears. It becomes as still as a bottomless lake. I feel my breathing deepen and lower. The contrast is profound and part of me realizes that, up until that exact moment, I have been breathing (again!) from only my neck up. It reminds me that I have been living in my head and ignoring my body.

In this elastic space, I feel solid, yet radiantly light. I am catching a glimpse of what it would be like to fully inhabit all of me. It is the same feeling that I get if I have ridden my bike all day, or hiked for many, many kilometers. It is a satisfyingly physical awareness of feeling deeply alive; grounded and conscious.

These are two things I know for sure;

First, like my dearly-departed dog, I need to exercise every day. When I use physical energy, I am also releasing mental static.

Second, meditation shows me what is within the realm of possible. It trains my mind to quiet and focus and recognize that not everything needs to be done right this second.

You can see why meditation sucks…I no longer have any excuses to live unconsciously. Each day I get another glimmer of what is not only possible, but attainable.

Slowly these moments are entering into my every day lexicon…even when I’m not sitting cross-legged on the floor.