meditating outside

I meditated outside for the first time today. It was more out of necessity than desire. It's been really hard for me to meditate daily lately while I temporarily live in a household with multiple kids and other adults.

But this morning I was walking back to my car after running in the park. I passed two women who just happened to be talking about meditation. "It makes me so much more calm and focused..." one of them said. I agree. I wondered if anyone would be home when I got back -- if the house was empty I might squeeze in some practice. But what about outside? Right now? I looked around. What if someone saw me... "What's that nut doing?" What if an animal attacked me? You know, one of those giant mutant predatory squirrels.

A few yards later I spotted a trail that cut through the bushes and trees and up the hill, away from the sidewalk and beach. I took it. I found a spot where an exposed tree root made a natural step in the ground, where I could sit cross-legged with my rear-end a few inches higher than my feet. I set my cellphone alarm clock for just 20 minutes, closed my eyes, and got down to business.

I heard waves on the beach, birds in the trees, boats in the distance, and felt wind on my face. Woopty-doo. *Everything* is nice in the beginning. But then the real practice started. My feet went numb faster, used to carpet but now pressed into dirt and rocks. Tired from running, I kept having to straighten my back. Something landed on my left cheek. A voice in my head periodically said, screw it, that's enough, just get up. But I sat, and it was a good sit.