Long time lurker, first time caller...
Had my first discussion with a meditation teacher outside of retreat. I want to get serious about my practice and am planning to work with this teacher for an extended period. My work schedule is wonky, always day shift but usually not the same days every week. I work 12 hour shifts. The teacher suggested that I pick a minimal amount of time that I could make happen every day, without fail. While my sits are usually toward the 1 hour mark, the goal is to put my arse on the cushion every day, so I figured I'd start with 5 minutes for 4 weeks.
I created a stickK account (my idea, not his) and will donate $25 a week to my "favorite" anti-charity for each week I am unsuccessful. If I manage to do 4 weeks without missing a day, I will try for 10 minutes the following 4 weeks. I'd like to work my way up to a minimum of 20 minutes daily, even on the days I am short on time, tired, unmotivated or... fill in the blank with my favorite excuse here. ;-)
In addition, I whined about my lack of support. Living in a small town of about 6,000 people, many of whom are SDA, I have few-wait, make that zero- pragmatic Dharma friends. He suggested maybe I should try posting here instead of just lurking. In addition, I am supposed to keep a practice journal for questions, etc, so thought I might give that a try here, too.
It was refreshing to have a conversation about practice with someone who had practical answers to my questions and problems rather than the standard, "trust the practice and you will progress" answers. Whew! Finally!
If you are interested in following my journey, PM me with your e-mail address and I will send you an invite to follow my progress on stickK.
Thanks to the DhO community. I have learned much from all of you in my time as a lurker. It's good to be out of the closet!
