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This Is Us
An Ode to Murphy, or How I Finally Learned to Meditate
Maybe we’re all a bit like my shelter dog Murphy — we’re just trying to protect ourselves
It’s noon, time for my daily meditation. I open the app on my phone and press play.
“Let go. Feel your seat.” My butt is already numb.
“Now gently close your eyes.” I open my eyes — a little kid watching the bad part of a movie — then close them again. Why is the refrigerator humming so loudly? Should I get that looked at?
“Allow your thoughts to pass. Notice them, like a fly on the wall.” Will the refrigerator explode in the middle of the night?
“Notice your breath.” I suck in a gust of air from my nose, startling my dog. She gets up, rolls her eyes, then sits back down across the room.
Am I doing this right? “There is no right or wrong,” a guide would probably say. “Don’t try. Just exist. Be present.”
This is where the self-help experts have led me. Feeling anxious? Meditate! Stressed about work? Meditate! Can’t shake the overwhelming sense of impending doom? Ten minutes of breathing should do the trick!
From what I gather, meditation is releasing your thoughts so you become more…
