To describe tonight’s practice is to miss the point of tonight’s practice entirely. Tonight, I simply sat cross-legged in silent meditation attempting to carve out a moment of stillness and presence.

I sat there distracted by the ticking clock, then noticed the soft gurgle of the A/C unit, the insistent whirring of helicopter blades, and then additional layers, familiar snoring and the feel of my own breath as it sailed over the top of my own mouth.

It seemed, in the moment, like a microcosm of human life. I was trying to steer my ship a certain way, but “life” had its own agenda, which I then diligently tried to ignore. I wanted to will away the distractions in favor of my worthy purpose. But it wasn’t until I let the layers of sound and life be, that I found myself just in a moment…and in celebrating the moment and daring to describe it, it was no longer the thing itself. But as the saying goes, it was good while it lasted. g’nite.