No Nest: April 27 - May 3

Most Fridays, I attend an online meditation group called Living Dharma. Last week while sitting together, I had an image of myself as a bird in search of its nest. Normally, I love my job as a technical trainer but as a Federal contractor I'm feeling unsettled. I've always enjoyed my life at home with a steady stream of friends gathered around the dining room table but these days everyone in my closest circle is worried and anxious. Even in meditation, I feel antsy after a few minutes. I almost feel guilty escaping into a few moments of calm because so many others have no peace. I'm like a bird, flitting from place to place, never finding a stable place to land. I shared this dilemma with Devin, my meditation teacher. My problem, he said, is not finding a nest but rather hoping for a nest in the first place. His advice is to let go of the nest. That wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for but it has certainly given me a lot to ponder this week.

Nothing is permanent in this life. Paradoxically, I'm finding comfort in that. I suppose spiritual teachers from all traditions have been telling me the same thing all along.

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."

St. Augustine

"We are all just walking each other home."

Ram Dass

Practice

Take up your seat as you've done week after week. Settle into the nest you have created. Breath into the body, your physical home in this life. Cultivate a sense of gratitude for these places of refuge. Remain here is stillness for a few moments.

Now sit with palms face up, open and receptive. Feel each breath as life pulses within. Imagine the present moment as a bird on a nearby perch. Let go of all expectations and allow the moment to be just as it is. Watch the bird with curiosity. Does it fly away? Does it hop into your hand? What happens if you simply let it be? Remain here in stillness for a few moments, just you and the bird.

Consider the nests in your life. Your job. Your home. Your family. Be grateful for what each has offered but also know you can't hold onto them forever. Like the bird, they will one day fly away. Love them in the meantime. Clinging to control never works. Remain open and receptive. Sit with open hands. Let life visit you as it will. Allow it to come and go.