My mind is always racing with ideas, and thus my attention span is getting shorter and shorter. During the day I usually have at least 5 tabs open in firefox, while running 3 things in the background, and listening music at the same time.

So I’ve been meditating, or trying to meditate lately. I downloaded a bunch of short meditation Podcast on iTunes. They range from 7 to 15 minutes, and I can do quick ones while at work. I just sit at my desk and close my eyes for a few minutes to slow myself down.

But even 7 minutes is hard. My thoughts are always flooding and my heart rate speeds up whenever an exciting thought or idea comes in.

Today at the 6th minute, I opened one eye to check how many minutes I have left. Then I noticed the tree outside my office window was swaying slowly with the mild wind.

The tree is deciduous. Right now it’s completely leafless and full of tree nuts hanging from the bald branches like Christmas tree ornaments.

the tree outside my office window

On the tips of branches, I saw tiny baby green buds showing their faces for the coming spring.

The scene was so beautiful and it calmed me down instantaneously.

I kept my eyes open for the remainder of the podcast. For a few minutes I became the tree. I swayed with the fluctuating floods of thoughts. I just let them come and go without resisting. Underneath the busy brainwaves, my true and calm self, is slowly emerging. It’s growing so slow that you may not see it at all. But oh it is there.