Last week my friend Rachel and I were in charge of over 130 costumes for two performances of the school play, The Wizard of Oz. We spent five months making the costumes and now the time had come for the shows!
I unloaded my minivan of bags and boxes and costumes and accessories and shoes and makeup and props through the back stage door.
The hum, excitement and anticipation of the upcoming day surged upon me like lightning.
As I parked my van and walked back towards the theater, I had a moment of feeling completely overwhelmed.
There was still much to do in preparation for our first show. The children were thrilled, delighted and way too loud for me at just that moment.
I paused and was unable to go inside the door where I knew I was going to be met with questions, demands and jitters from the young actors.
My first thought, “I’ve got to take a Five Minute Meditation break.”
My second thought, “No, that is too long to be gone during this hectic time.”
My third thought, “It will be fine to be gone for 5 minutes.”
My fourth thought, “Rachel needs me now more than ever.”
My fifth thought, “The best thing I can do for her is get myself grounded and fully present for the day.”
My sixth thought, “There is no way a Five Minute Meditation is going to make a difference.”
My seventh thought, “Kathleen, are you kidding?? This is what you tell people to do all the time.
You tell them the busier you are, the more important it is to take a quick break. Five minutes seems like it will not make a difference, but it does.
Stop complaining and stalling and go sit down for a Five Minute Meditation!”
My eighth thought, “OK! I’ll do it!”
I went to the back of my minivan, sat down, set my cell phone timer for five minutes, closed my eyes, and took a luscious, deep, calming breath.
Ahhhh…
Five minutes later the timer went off and I was ready.
And amazed at the complete transformation the Five Minute Meditation brought to me (again!)
When I got back stage to the costume dressing room, I was grounded and calm. Rachel and I were able to completely support each other for the entire day.
The children were wonderful and the shows went on with delightful success.
I know I’ve said it before, but that Five Minute Meditation works! Especially when you need it most.
Believe it. Trust it. Try it today. And let me know how it goes.
xo,
Kathleen
I don’t feel so bad about struggling to spend 5 minutes when I read that you struggle with the same thing at times. The 5-minute meditation is on my daily to-do list but lately I’ve been letting it slip. But not today. I actually set my clock to 6 minutes to give me an extra 60 seconds to take a sip of water, adjust my chair, etc. Funny that the 5 minutes can feel like an eternity but those first 60 seconds real off the clock in no time! Thanks so much!
Hi Dan,
Yeah, I know how sometimes it can be hard to find even 5 minutes! And then there is all the internal dialog that takes place…
Love that you set your alarm for an extra minute – that is the way to get it solid.
Enjoy!!