2011.08.26 _ -6

Good morning! That was better than the evening sittings have been. But still very surprising to feel how much harder this is than at the retreat. There was less noise there, that is true, but still there *was* noise that I didn't react to. I remembered a discussion in Halifax about this, about letting the noises and whatnot be *facts* not signals. (A signal interrupts you, takes your attention, whereas a fact simply exists.) There are too many signals here, or rather I am in a state of mind to take whatever happens as a signal. This can't be good for me. Why am I so attentive to things around me here, so much more than at the retreat or on holiday?

Set the timer for nine minutes, stopped it in frustration after about six. Tried to drop the feeling of failing, and sat for another five minutes. Much better. edited 07:18, 26 Aug 2011

It was a very clear sitting, not very long. Notice that when meditating with eyes closed, I seem to be more energized/less sleepy, so either way has its charms for different reasons.

Sat on the roof and drew the new plants I bought this afternoon, focussing on the tightly knotted buds and dentellated leaves shaking in the breeze. Time didn't pass at all and the sun was warm. edited 03:12, 27 Aug 2011