It has been my intention, since launching this blog, to get up at six-thirty, as I did this summer, light a candle, and meditate. Nothing fancy. Just a simple sit to focus on my breath. I am sorry to report that I have not been so successful–there are always kids to feed and a dog to walk–but perhaps in confessing this to you, I will get back to it.

I have, however, been doing two nice things for myself that I thought I’d pass along. First, I have been lighting a candle when I sit down at my desk to work. I was getting the sense that there was too much metal around me. The computer. The lamp. The cords under my feet. So now, the flicker of fire nearby balances me out. I love it.

As I light the candle, I say a little prayer that whatever I write that day will be of help to…somebody. I have to be careful not to leave the candle unattended. How sad it would be to burn the house down! But that attention, too, is part of the mindfulness exercise.

Secondly, when I’m traveling on public transportation these days (for me, it’s usually a subway), I do not read or do any work. I just look at the people around me for a time, then close my eyes and breathe. I don’t care how I look. I used to be very judgmental when I saw people on subways doing nothing. “How awful,” I’d think. “They’re not even reading!” But now, I just sit. Thoughts come up. I am sometimes reminded of something important, and I might write that down in a notebook. But then I return to doing nothing, breathing away. If I didn’t do this, I would hardly ever have any time, any gaps, between conversations and activities. There would be no silences for a higher power to speak through.