Photo by Flickr user blmurch

One of my favorite sayings is by Rilke, from "Letters to a Young Poet." He writes, “...have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves... At present you need to live the question... Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.” As a psychotherapist, I often give a copy of this to clients upon termination. It’s such a wonderful creed to live by.

It also reminds me to have patience if my meditation practice is feeling “dry.” Today was such a day. I decided to go out for a walk and try to clear my mind and get “centered.” To me that means feeling connected to my inner wisdom, to a greater perspective. After about half an hour, I felt my body relax and with it came the recognition that I’d been holding onto a “should.”

I was worrying about pleasing someone else, which can be impossible, and besides, the person was telling me that I didn’t need to do anything. But an earlier incident, in which I had disappointed this person, was weighing on me. It had nothing to do with the present situation. This realization was freedom. I could let go. It’s an illustration of embracing the question, “Why do I feel stuck?” and walking into the answer. This old “should” was the obstacle to my meditation, to my feeling relaxed.

Finding a way to listen and be open to life’s answers can be challenging. As I suggested last week, the first step is to get quiet. Otherwise it’s like trying to hear the whimper of a baby in the middle of a rock concert.

As a mental health professional, an owner of a fitness studio, a writer and a wife, mother and grandmother, I have found meditation to be helpful in every aspect of my life. To find out about “Be Who You Love” meditation classes or my newly published novel, “A Barroom View of Love”, contact me at susanmmorales@yahoo.com or check out my websites: susanscottmorales.com and bodiesinbalancefitness.com.