WOODFUL MEDITATIONS, WITH A SANDING BLOCK

Take a comfortable yet energized position. Notice the wood in front of you. The rough texture covers the wood as anxiety covers the mind. Notice the bumps and grooves, but do not judge them. Simply notice that they are there. They are as much the wood as the smooth surface that lies beneath, waiting to be exposed. Now calmly and slowly pick me up and with your next exhale, place me on the wood. Your troubles can take a break now. As thoughts of tomorrow or yesterday drift into your mind, gently sand them away. No need to destroy these thoughts, but peacefully let the rough parts become smooth, so they don’t seem so troubling anymore. Notice how it is the very roughness of me that removes the roughness of the wood. Do not linger on just one spot. Gently inhale and feel the wood, and with your next exhale, firmly blow off the sawdust as well as any troubles on your surface. With this you reseal the polished wood and at the same time, the smoothness of your mind. Now inhale and borrow me at the NE Seattle Tool Library.