Long Walks On Leafy Streets

10/3/2014 Near Skyline drive, Shenandoah Mountains, VA
It is the end of a very hectic week and it feels very satisfying to sit down and write. It is like sitting down with a nice cool beverage after a good, sweaty run. I have finally recovered from the virus or allergy or whatever it was that had afflicted me last week. It should not have taken so long if I had taken proper rest. Instead, except for a little bit last Thursday (as described in previous post) I have been carrying on as usual. I never felt sick but at the same time it was hard to concentrate deeply on anything. I had to tell myself that it was not because of laziness or sluggishness but because the brain was also affected by this. By nature I tend to run about, both mentally and physically, a little too much. So it is important for me to remind myself to sit back and take a deep breath now and then.

Inspired by the following story, seen in a column of David Brooks in the New York Times, I started a routine for myself to work on research: "When she was writing, Maya Angelou would get up every morning at 5:30 and have coffee at 6. At 6:30, she would go off to a hotel room she kept — a small modest room with nothing but a bed, desk, Bible, dictionary, deck of cards and bottle of sherry. She would arrive at the room at 7 a.m. and write until 12:30 p.m. or 2 o’clock." Following a routine everyday for math study and research turned out to be very helpful. I started to look forward to that time. It was almost like a refuge, a pleasant stroll through a garden filled with exotic flowers or sometimes a tough hike ending in a rewarding view. This, along with regular meditation, helped me to completely recover from the affliction mentioned above. I hope to continue this routine of allocating a certain time and duration each day towards study, research and meditation.
I also was reminded that sometimes one could push oneself even while doing meditation! Because of the illness it was hard to even meditate. At first I didn’t recognize it because I didn’t recognize the illness itself. Once I understood what was going on I was able to tell myself that there are various stages in meditation also. Sometimes simply sitting quietly and observing or chanting is all you can do.
When it is hard to engage in tasks that require concentration of the mind I try to take care of other errands. It always gives me pleasure to walk about the backyard and water the plants or take care of the garbage. Since fall is approaching the leaves are slowly turning yellow here and there. The Aster Woods that has been blooming brilliantly in the front yard is starting to lose its luster. All except two zucchini plants and the eggplant are withering away. It is nice to see a zucchini fruit and an eggplant growing. Probably the last of the season. Soon the grass will stop growing. There is already a bit of chill in the air.

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