This is the season to weed here in Wisconsin.  Every day I dig out dandelions by hand because I refuse to use poison.  It’s not so bad, though.  A few minutes every day (sometimes both morning and evening) will keep the flower beds free of weeds and give the flowers a chance to take hold. It seems like the most practical solution:  do about ten minutes of yard work a day and it looks good.  Not too strenuous, not overwhelming, no reason to swallow anti-inflammatory meds.

So, why can’t I accept a daily meditation and spiritual practice as easily?

Because I want the instant fix.  I still want the lightning bolt that knocks me off of my horse on the road to Damascus.  This is the story that colors my (and many others’) idea of spiritual change.  It’s the idea that once we get the ah-ha, we’re done.  My mind conveniently leaves out that Paul didn’t become a nice guy (there’s plenty of evidence in his own words to show he was a bigot and misogynist).

So, I am back to weeding.  Even though it’s been raining off and on today, I’ve dug up some dandelions and used my walking meditations as mantras while I was weeding.

No lightning, though.