I went from sneering at the idea of a "gym" class in college on relaxing to practicing meditation. I suspected the ancients didn't do a lot of research and just picked an hour or so as an appropriate time. Much like I also suspect Quakers picked a duration of an hour as a logical time without trying shorter or longer times. I also found I could find a single point I could see to concentrate on. Reading Jade Meng-Tan's books underlined my confidence in short periods and short periods led to several short periods daily. It was a real help to find the breath as a focus instead of a visual one since it was more restful for my eyes when I used my breath. That shift led to my being aware of the enormous literature on breathing, including Gay Hendrick's book "Conscious Breathing" and Rosenberg's "Breath by Breath".
But I was still searching for a good mental stance. I read the comment by the woman Byron Katie that she was "having the time of my life watching my body fall apart." Just the other day, I found the article in Firefox's browser service, Pocket, by Edward Hirch called "I am going blind and I find it strangely exhilarating" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/opinion/embracing-blindness-disability.html?utm_source=pocket_saves
Then, two days ago, I saw Jon Kabat-Zinn's new book, "Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief." He is a major source of using mediation for pain and other problems. As a researcher in a hospital, he took a class in meditation and realized it was a valuable tool for cancer patients for whom no further treatment existed.
I have enjoyed playing with the conundrum that this instant is totally unique, has never been available to me before, and never will be again. All of these experiences and sources have led to my focusing on each moment (when I think of it) as an adventure. You may be aware that I have never died, that I have not lost my sense of balance. When I do, it will be an adventure!
