I learned to meditate at the age of 12.

I took a real 1970’a “New Age woo woo change-your-life” course with my Dad in 1975! And oh, that is a great tale I will tell in detail some day…. mainly though, I learned to meditate, or at least began my path towards a practice.

I have fluctuated off and on with a daily morning meditation practice (15 minutes of breathing and centering, guided or not) and have sometimes maintained it for months, even a couple years once. And it is always beneficial. I would think it would be easier to do every day, since I know how much I gain from it! Working with my resistance is contrast to further define what works for me.

I have been trying to meditate more in the last couple years, at least a few days a week start off that way, and I always have a better day. These last few days, it has been even more important than ever to set my tone right from the start.

I have become aware that breath, can create a state of calm, and mantras or “good thoughts” can create an intentional direction of one’s attention, and this in effect helps change how we feel internally, and how we relate to others and the world, throughout our day.

Songs get into us. Music, lyrics, get into us. Sometimes they play on repeat in our minds like a mantra, though more commonly we call it an earworm. Sometimes we find it irritating, someone quotes a song, and then the song repeats in our mind whether we want it or not! Sucks when it is a pop song like “Who Let the Dogs Out? Woof, woof woof… ” (sorry!)

Might be better (if you are a deadhead) with “I need a miracle every day!” Or “We will get by…”

Well, I have had a morning “earworm” that kind of serves the purpose of my meditation, at least in terms of setting the tone. It is a Yes song, “Time and Word” not their most famous, so if you are not a big fan you might not know it. I learned it when I was about 14, and it seemed to connect to things I had learned in my meditation a couple years before, as well as my budding hippie ideals of Love being the answer, and doing my part to make the world better and better every day.

I am grateful, that in times like these, most days, my brain’s internal DJ plays this for me.

Maybe it is hopeless, and I should surrender to the pervasive gloom, but this is how I need to screw my head on each day. I’m not looking away from the problems, but hopefully changing the porportion and getting things in perspective.

Now I am spreading the news, because the time is now.

I hope you too, can find inspiration to move you brightly.

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YES – TIME AND A WORD

In the morning when you rise
Do you open up your eyes, see what I see?
Do you see the same things every day?
Do you think of a way to start the day
Getting things in proportion?
Spread the news and help the world go ’round
Have you heard of a time that will help us get it together again?
Have you heard of the word that will stop us going wrong?
Well, the time is near, the word you’ll hear
When you get things in perspective
Spread the news and help the world go round

There’s a time and the time is now and it’s right for me
It’s right for me, and the time is now
There’s a word and the word is love and it’s right for me
It’s right for me, and the word is love

Have you heard of a time that will help get it together again?
Have you heard of the word that will stop us going wrong?
Well, the time is near, the word you’ll hear
When you get things in perspective
Spread the news and help the world go round

There’s a time and the time is now and it’s right for me
It’s right for me, and the time is now
There’s a word and the word is love and it’s right for me
It’s right for me, and the word is love
There’s a time and the time is now and it’s right for me
It’s right for me, and the time is now
There’s a word and the word is love and it’s right for me
It’s right for me, and the word is love