A Receptive Mind

A meditative mind is a receptive mind.  This awareness came to me some months ago when I observed that, after meditating, I saw more, and perceived things differently.

Meditation clears the clutter out so I have more capability to deal with what arises.  Today, what arose was that I was at work, and in the late morning called home to check on one of our cats.  Muffy had become sick, and had not improved since the day before.  I thought we should call the vet, and Pam, not feeling well herself, asked me to call.

When I did, and found that they could see Muffy at 2:30, my mind was completely clear that I needed to request the afternoon off, walk home, and take Muffy for a checkup.   I was out the door in 5 minutes with a feeling of complete surety.

As I walked home, a falling leaf caught my attention, and I watched its path through the air to the ground.  [See my post "The Mindfulness of Falling Leaves"]  After focusing on a couple more leaves as they tumbled earthward in the breeze, I turned my attention back to the broader landscape.

As I took in the string of clouds in the sky and the signs of late autumn all around me, I realized that the value of using a falling leaf as a meditative trigger, to find focus, stillness and calm, was really not in those few seconds, but was in how it prepared my mind, making it open and receptive to what the next moment would bring.

It is always the present moment.  The question is whether I am with it or not.