One last monthly challenge for 2021, as long as it had a pun in the name…
Have you noticed that every month seems to have a challenge attached to it these days? Sometimes more than one. I’m talking about the likes of Dry July, Movember, OcSober, Grateful in April, Steptember. Have you taken part in any of these? Let me know if so, and what you thought of them.
A swollen ankle saved me from Steptember, earlier this year…
I totally get the appeal; what’s not to like about challenging yourself whilst also working a related pun into the month name? But I am often less enthused about actually participating. I think I may have gotten out of two step challenges with my team at work this year, once because I was still recovering from an ACL reconstruction, and the second time because I managed to roll my ankle quite badly leading into the month (photo to prove!). One was Steptember, the other one was earlier in the year, but I can’t remember exactly; maybe March for March? If that’s not one, it probably will be soon. In both cases there was a part of me that was quite happy to look on the bright side of a painful injury when it meant avoiding a step challenge; sorry RSA team!
However, I am participating in a month-name challenge at the moment. Let me explain how it started before I reveal the amazing pun I managed to work into December. And yes, you can interchange ‘amazing’ with ‘extremely poor’ and it would still be an accurate sentence.
So what was the challenge relating to you ask? Well, I’ve been thinking about giving meditation a try for a while. Assuming you haven’t clicked away, I’m guessing some of you might be thinking, Dude; why??
Spirituality in fiction will just as likely result in the arrival of a demonic succubus as innerpeace…Photo by Dima Valkov from Pexels
Good question. Could fiction be to blame? I mean I (and probably you) have been surrounded, quite unwittingly, by mediation-related content most of my life. Whether it’s Jedi Knights in Star Wars, monks and mystics in Pathfinder, arse-kicking nuns in Mark Lawrence’s Ancestor trilogy, or TV shows like Medium, spirituality of one sort or another features fairly consistently in books, movies and games. So it’s possible these have been subliminally sending me the idea for a long time. Having said that, there is a far higher chance spirituality would firmly deter me from the idea, lest I risk crossing paths with a sith lord who turns out to be my real dad, face possession by a demon or paranormal spirit, or encounter some other nasty that invariably occupies the astral plane in these sorts of stories! Besides, Obi-wan didn’t really sell it with his “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” move. I mean, maybe someone can explain it to me, but I’m still not sure that played out well for him? Apart from saving his friends from funeral costs perhaps.
So if it’s not fiction, could it be location? I did live up in the Sunshine Coast hinterland for nearly four years recently, so perhaps this is the reason? I think it’s fair to say that there is a healthy proportion of people up there who whole-heartedly embrace the world of meditation. Could it be contagious and proximity over the last 4 years has caused me to slowly absorb the need to sit cross-legged, connect thumbs with middle fingers and try to perfect my “ommmm”? Possibly. But given I am fresh out of tie-dye shirts and haven’t felt the need to wear sarongs and go walking barefoot through town yet, I’m thinking it’s not that. And let’s face it, long hair certainly isn’t on the cards for me at this stage.
Perhaps it’s because meditation is the flavour of the month? Mindfulness is certainly a buzzword at the moment. There’s nothing like a good dose of social isolation to instill a desperate need to connect with, well, pretty much anything! And for those that were kind of interested but just never found the time due to a busy social life, COVID lockdowns certainly knocked down that barrier. But while the visibility and talk of mindfulness and meditation might have played a part, I don’t think it’s the sole reason, given I’ve been lucky enough to avoid the worst of the lockdowns.
What’s that? Did someone just cough/mutter “midlife crisis”? It did occur to me that maybe that is behind it. But buying a Mustang GT would have been much cooler (though admittedly far more obvious), so I don’t think it’s that either.
I think it’s more about trying new and different experiences. You may have picked that up a little if you’ve read many of my blogs over the last few months! FYI, I also followed up the Mt Tibrogargan climb by tackling Mt Beerwah recently; more to come on that.
I have been listening to a podcast recently by Sarah Grynberg called A Life of Greatness, which has certainly piqued my interest (I highly recommend it; available free via the LiSTNR App). It’s not about meditation specifically, but many of the amazing people who are interviewed by Sarah practice meditation, as well as the host herself. And I think all the focus on mental health, especially over the last two years, has also got me thinking about how I can ensure I’m exercising my brain along with the physical exercise I do.
Now, I can’t take claim for the challenge idea itself; I was speaking to a good friend about my interest in giving meditation a go but confessing that I wasn’t quite sure where to start, and she suggested the challenge idea, as well as offering to do it with me. So all I can really claim is the pun part. Which now that it comes time to reveal it, I’m feeling even less confident about. I’ve labelled the challenge DeZENber, with the goal of being totally Zen thanks to meditation through the month of December. Thankfully this appalling pun did not deter my friend and so we both signed on to start on December 1st.
I’ve downloaded the Calm app which, while there is a cost attached, does seem pretty cool. Among the content on Calm, they have a 30 day program for Beginners titled How to Meditate, led by a Guy called Jeff Warren. Seemed a logical place to start. Most run between 10-14 minutes, so we are not talking a huge investment of time here.
I’ll reflect back again in January when I’ve completed the DeZENber challenge, but at the half-way point I am enjoying it. So far they have been pretty simple, well guided, and I have generally felt quite calm and peaceful for having spent meditating each day. Not a bad thing in December which can be a pretty hectic month as we all try and tie up our work for the year, organize presents and Christmas logistics (with Aust Post deliver deadlines hanging over us like an executioners axe!) and generally limp towards the end of the year that was. In addition to feeling pretty good, so far there have been no urges to paint my black Camry in rainbow hues, so I’m also thankful for that. And another upside is that the meditation requires sitting still, having absolutely no need for a pedometer. Which means I haven’t had to go an injure myself again to get out of this one.