My meditation balloon

I watched the movie Evita last night and there is a song that is so catchy and relevant to many of us at the moment. “…so what happens now, so what happens now…. Where am I going to?”
We all reach a point in our lives where we have to take stock of our lives. We need to take stock of where we are, where we’ve been and where we are aiming to get to. Not an easy task at all. Sometimes we realize there is so much baggage that we’ve collected along the way that is really slowing us down, and then the task to get rid of that said baggage is what leaves us in a little turmoil.

I think it’s one of the best processes we can do for ourselves and our lives. It’s like looking at your cupboard filled with so much clothing that never gets worn, things that are now to big or to small and other things we keep just because they have sentimental value but really worthless in the cupboard because it leaves us with no space for new clothes.
That cupboard could be the representation of our thoughts, our emotions, our aims and ambitions. Something we all need to look at every now and then to clear out what is not needed to make space for other newer better thoughts, emotions, aims and ambitions.

Life changes constantly and we are changing constantly. The sum of our lives is what we did yesterday! Is it still useable today? Is it still valid? Has the ‘past by’ date expired on many of these things? Do we perhaps find things we love and cherish hidden amongst all the extra clothes and they are now more useable than before?
Only I will know what is right and to be kept in my cupboard. Sometimes the decision to get rid of things is very difficult and draining, but we know that we are faced with the reality that it is holding us down. So, do we sink or swim? Time spent alone with our self is the most valuable time that any of us have in this life. It’s our time to recharge our batteries.

Meditation is vital for everyday life and I am forcing myself ‘down-time’ to do just that. Not an easy thing to just sit and try clear my mind of everything to see what a clear slate will look like. At first it seems like a game with worms crawling into the thought area. But it does get easier to get rid of those worms. Practice makes perfect in every area of our life and that is also true to our thoughts and meditation.

I use a helium balloon. I close my eyes and concentrate on every detail of a helium balloon. Mine is a red balloon with a blue ribbon (thin ribbon), tied to the knotted part at the bottom of the red balloon. It’s a beautiful clear blue sky. I see my hand holding the ribbon that is attached to the helium balloon and then I watch the balloon as my hand releases the ribbon. As the balloon rises I see it grow smaller and smaller as it goes up. Eventually the balloon is a spec, then it disappears. My thought space is now a clear blue sky with nothing in it but the colour blue.

It’s amazing how much (and in the beginning how little) one can do with a clean slate! I am a work in progress. I am looking at all the options available to me, without restricting myself. These are my thoughts and my meditations and also my method of how I get to that state. Try it. Do it daily. Take time to clear that closet of yours. Take time to find space for all those wonderful positive new things that can be placed into it. It not only helps you feel better, refreshed and recharged, but it also puts you in a better mood.