Blindness is not what defines me, but it certainly influences who I am and how I experience the world, as well – I’m sure – as how the world experiences me. Though being blind does not stop me from doing most things sighted people can, it does mean that often I have to find other, more creative ways of doing them. As a female in my late twenties, living in the heart of one of the most beautiful and progressive cities in the country, with an insatiable appetite for travel and adventure and a brand-new guidedog, I am continually met with this challenge in an endless variety of ways throughout my day to day life. I decided to start this blog as a way of getting more perspective on and making better sense of my experiences. After reaching a major transition point – a shift from always having a strong sense of what I want and where I am headed, to then receiving my Masters degree and suddenly no longer having any idea of how to proceed in life – I have a strong desire for some new form of inspiration and guidance. So, I am hoping that writing will help me to clarify a sense of purpose and direction in my much more uncertain, post academic life.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A surprisingly Positive Experience - June 2010
So, tonight I attended a meditation group for the first time, and I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it just felt right to me. In contrast to my previous aversion to anything having to do with the subject, I found I actually felt grounded and at ease with myself and my life (not usually the case lately). When the forty minutes was up, I couldn’t believe that I had sat silently focusing on my breath for that long. Had I tried to do this at any time in my past, I would have been writhing in silent agony, with thoughts racing and skin crawling. I’m really grateful that I didn’t allow myself to get pressured into meditation before I was ready, because it most likely would have turned me off to it for a lot longer.
I’m pretty sure it is safe to assume that this was my new guidedog’s first meditation too, and I’m not quite sure if it had the same impact on him. J However, accept for a slight confused reaction to the deep breathing practice at the beginning, and a few audible sighs from him during the silence, he laid at my feet pretty zen-like as guidedogs are supposed to do, regardless of the surroundings (also not always the case with him because he is so new and just figuring out what is expected of him). All in all, this was a very positive experience on both accounts.
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