Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.

Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a story with you about something that happened

a few years ago.

I rolled out of bed one morning after not being able to sleep at all the night before.

Because the neighbors were arguing and slamming doors, I couldn't get comfortable in any position and Thunder kept waking me up.

I remember getting out of bed cranky and frustrated and my day was just beginning.

To add insult to injury, two months prior to this, my friend suggested that I try meditating every morning.

And to tell you the truth, I absolutely hated it.

I mean, for years I've had the same routine of coffee, news, breakfast, and going online, but now before doing anything else

I had to sit for a few minutes and focus on my breath.

Most times I just ended up thinking about all the other things I'd rather be doing or simply wishing I was still in bed.

As you can imagine, sitting down to meditate was extremely difficult after a sleepless night,

but a promise is a promise. I got out of bed. I went to the little corner that I had set up for meditation

and I sat with my bitter thoughts about everything that kept me up all night. Within two minutes

something interesting happened. None of my complaints would stick.

Instead of being upset about the storm outside I actually felt blessed to be indoors.

The neighbors arguing only made me feel more grateful for the healthy relationship I was in, and there

is no way I could complain about being uncomfortable in my bed while so many people sleep on cardboard

boxes on the street every night.

It was amazing how gratitude managed to stop every negative feeling I had. My morning

meditation turned out to be better than a cup of coffee and I was positively enthusiastic about the day ahead.

In fact, when I ran into my neighbors on the way out that day, I felt sorry and sad instead of angry because I knew they actually had a much rougher night than I did.

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