March 2010 Posts

Sunday, March 14, 2010: All the right tools

I used to dislike cooking.  I am actually quite a good cook, and I always appreciated the end results of my efforts; but I found the process of cooking to be annoying and frustrating.  What I was most averse to was all of the cutting.  Mincing onions, dicing garlic, julienning vegetables, even chopping soft foods like mild cheese was aggravating; I had to exert lots of force to get my knife through each item, so my cuts were rough, and the resulting pieces were uneven.  All of the extra effort required in the cutting process made cooking as a whole more irritating than it was worth; so I resorted to eating basic things like sandwiches and cereal – things that were boring and bland,  but that did the job of feeding me while keeping me away from the annoyances of the kitchen.

Then two years ago, my husband gave me a set of high-quality kitchen knives.  At first I was appalled at the price, but after a bit of nudging by my husband I decided to go ahead and try them; and after the first simple, easy, clean, effortless slice of the blade through a raw carrot I was hooked.  Immediately, the world of cooking opened up to me; all of those laborious chopping and dicing tasks previously associated with cooking were now EASY to do – which made cooking itself now much less difficult, and certainly more enjoyable.

So where am I going with this?  Recently, I had a very similar experience with my meditation practice.  For the past several months I have been meditating for 20-30 minutes every morning; and while I have been appreciating the end results of these efforts, I found myself sometimes resisting the meditation process.  I would reluctantly get my body to the meditation space in my home – but then I would putz around for a few minutes before setting a pillow on the floor.  I would finally down with a sigh and set the timer, but then I would spend a lot of time shifting and fidgeting and trying to get “comfortable” on my seat.  In the moments when I did experience a bit of stillness, a bit of calm, or a bit of peace I was really glad I had done the meditation; but the physical discomfort I felt during much of the process was starting to make it all very aggravating and annoying.  Was I destined to resort to the meditation equivalent of sandwiches and cereal?

I decided that if better tools would bolster my meditation practice, then it was time for me to invest in quality meditation supplies.  So two weeks ago I purchased a floor cushion specifically designed for meditation, as well as a padded meditation bench.  While it was slightly painful to me to spend so much money on two pieces of furniture that had such “limited” application (i.e., would only be used an average of 20-30 minutes each day, and would only be used by me), after my first session using these new cushions I knew this was the right move for me in my meditation journey.  Sitting on the bench, my feet no longer fell asleep after a few minutes of meditation, and I was able to focus much more easily on my breath.  Sitting on the cushion, I was able to align my spine much straighter and taller, and I found my mind wanting to respond to this more erect posture by getting more focused more quickly.

“They” say having the right tools makes all the difference; and I am beginning to experience the merit of that sentiment.  If having lower-quality tools is beginning to inhibit your passion (be it cooking, or meditation, or art, or computer design, or gardening, or biking, or whatever resonates with you personally), maybe it’s time to consider an upgrade?  So far it has worked for me!  : )

Have you had a similar experience, be it in meditation, or in some other part of your life?  If so, consider leaving a comment – I would love to hear about your journey, too!