Hello my name is Kim and I use to meditate.

Before you think “sweet, freebie week”, I want you to truly consider 10 minutes of daily meditation; preferably in the morning.

I dabbled in mediation during my last pregnancy when my hormones were all over the place, when I was not in a happy place even though I knew I should be. Healthy baby #3 in my belly. Loving family. My needs more than taken care of. Yet, month 4 I found myself booking a flight to San Francisco to be with my bestie and hide for 4 days away from my children and husband. I didn’t even talk to my husband before booking the flight. I called his mom, made sure she was available to help watch the kids and broke the news to him one evening that I was leaving in 2 weeks to clear my head.

OUCH! 

I’ve never been a great communicator. I’m more of a concealer. 

Our wedding song “Say” by John Mayer was picked on purpose. It’s a little nudge to “take all of your so called problems, better put ’em in quotations. Say what you need to say”.

During this bleak moment in time I had just started Oprah and Deepak Chopra’s 21 day Meditation Challenge. I would set my alarm at 5:20am, “meditate” for 20 minutes before I would start my day.

My first SEVERAL times of mediation consisted of me beating myself up for not doing it right. Only a few minutes into the mantra, I’d completely forget what I was suppose to be saying and worked on my grocery list or what we were going to have for dinner. Or worse, replaying how awful I felt, mostly making up fake conversations and arguments in my head.

However, 3 days before departure day I got it! 

I got that all consuming feeling of peace. Like when you walk into the woods on a beautiful fall day and smell the leaves and feel the warmth of the sun on your face. It was surreal.

And then it vanished. 

And then came the guilt.

Why was I leaving my beautiful family?

During those few blissful moments of remembering my mantra of the day, clarity happened. Clarity that what was happening in my world was all good. That I could handle in. That I would be fine.

AND I BELIEVED IT!

Did I cancel my trip? HECK NO!! But I continued to meditate for the rest of my pregnancy. I’d be lying if I said my grocery list never popped into my head. It did. Along with my to do list. And previous (and future) conversations.

But I can tell you for certain on the days I fully committed to meditating even for 10 minutes, my day went smoother. I handled my kids tiny whining voices better, my husbands last minute phone calls that he was an hour away (when dinner was just about to be served) and the overall endless mess that having kids (and a husband) brings.

NPR once did a special on mediation in the workplace. It was during that broadcast that the “expert” reported that the true act or art of meditating takes as much practice as learning to become a concert pianist. You don’t just sit down and belt out Beethoven’s Fur Elise. Mediation takes years of practice to be really good at it. To get into that zen like place.

My break through that one morning was as close as I’ve ever gotten. But it was sweet, timely, oh so important and I remember it well.

Once baby girl was born though finding an opportunity to meditate was challenging. No longer waking up 20 minutes earlier worked. Especially since she was NOT A SLEEPER the first 7 months of her life.

And as most good habits fade if not nurtured, this one did as well. 

And with every new 21 day Mediation Challenge that Oprah and Deepak would offer, I committed less and less to it despite knowing the benefits.

I decided now is a great time to try and get those benefits back.

I deserve to start my day more peaceful. My family deserves a less “barking” mom and wife. 

If you do not have a meditation resource you are already familiar with I’d start with the Headspace App. They offer a free 10 day trial and you get to set the length of your meditation at either 10 or 15 minutes. The creator Andy walks you through how to properly meditate with great analogies and even pictures. Plus Andy has a British accent and I think he’s kind of cute. You can also check out his Ted Talk here if I haven’t convinced you enough yet to join me.

Headspace is where I’ll be hanging out 1/30-2/5/2017 (or longer, fingers crossed). I purchased a yearly membership a while ago and like that pesky gym membership haven’t used it in months. But it’s time. It’s NEVER TOO LATE to (re) start.

If you haven’t been able to commit to our previous weekly challenges, I truly hope this one sparks your attention. What’s the worse that can happen?

Feel free to share this post with your friends and family, enemies and alliances. Catch me on my facebook page here as well where I’ll be sharing additional meditation resources and any aha moments I may have had (or what I’m going to cook for dinner).

Thank you again for all the support!! It means the world to me!

Hugs, Kim