It takes real courage to sit with the mind.

Meditation can sometimes be tossed about as a task to check off our to-do list

for the day, but when we understand the real purpose of meditating, it's similar to going to the gym for

the mind. When we start a new workout, we may be excited and even over-eager, to the point that we

pull or tear a muscle by lifting too much weight or lifting in the wrong way. This pain may

make us hesitant to continue. After all, if this is what lifting weights does to me, I don't want to do that

anymore. That's not fun. In fact, it's hurtful. However, when we understand why we're lifting

weights and have a realistic time frame for noticing beneficial outcomes that may have enticed us to start lifting in the

first place, we are reminded to take it day by day. Meditating daily, even for as little as one

minute, strengthens our ability to see clearly, first ourselves, including our thoughts and our feelings, and then to see those

in our lives clearly, those in our intimate world, our family and friend circle, those loosely

related or connected to us, maybe work or everyday life, our neighbors, and as well as the grand world.

By choosing to sit with the mind each day for however long we do, we are choosing to befriended.

Even if at times it can be painful to see our thoughts as they race about.

Meditation gives us the ability to observe those thoughts without engaging, without judging them.

It's understandable why we may have chosen distraction in the past,

because distraction allows us to avoid any potential anguish,

potential discomfort, and yes, to what we think is to help us avoid pain. But the truth we discover

is that in order to heal, in order to see clearly what will truly fulfill us,

what will truly heal us, we have to understand why those momentary thoughts are painful to us.

Once we understand, we gain clarity and begin to make different decisions. But hold up. We're not analyzing or making

any decisions right now. We're just witnessing our mind, seeing the thoughts, witnessing the

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