Morning, 7/31/07

The flowers on the altar are drooping as I sit down to meditate. Setting the timer and draping a light blanket over my shoulders, I begin. Breath comes light and natural. Sounds come to the fore: the cat prowling among books and papers on the bed, settling in his place; a train blowing its whistle at a crossing; the laughter and joyful voices of children playing; the droning flight of a fly. Mind wanders to surfing the web. Then, I'm skiing. A feeling comes of different "rooms" in the mind where each activity takes place, momentary lapses and falling into a sleepy state. I fall into a big slump and am startled awake. The thought comes that there is always something in the nature of things as they are that startles me awake when I begin to slump into sleepiness. I will take this observation into my day and notice if this happens as I go about my day: What in the nature of things as they are prompts me to wake up when I have begun to slump into sleepiness?