03-26-2007

How do you handle every day “blunders?”

I’m facilitating meditation circles via telephone.  Today, March 26th, was the first day of my third meditation circle. I was using a new conference call service.

Anyway, for the first 10-15 minutes I introduced the format of the calls and other information and we had introductions of people participating in the circle.  Then the plan was to do a 10 minute facilitated meditation.  So in other words, I would guide the participants through a meditation for 10 minutes. 

Well when I muted the participants (to keep anyone from hearing any distractions) I muted MYSELF.  Of course I didn’t know this and I was going on…”Take a deep breath, etc.”  After the meditation I took the participants off mute and found out that we were ALL on mute, including myself.

I LAUGHED so hard.  Of course, I apologized to the participants and assured them that it wouldn’t happen again.  I also told them to rest assure that we would move forward and they didn’t miss anything. 

Even when I got off the phone, I couldn’t control my laughter.  It was so FUNNY.  I was snorting and laughing.  I still start cracking up when I think of it.

The reason I share this experience is because there are two very important realizations:  One for me and the other for the participants.

First, I realized that had this sort of thing happened to me before I developed the “habit” of meditation, I would have been traumatized.  Yet, now I just thought it was funny.

From developing the habit of meditation, I notice that things that used to irritate me or bother me are now laughable!  What a place to BE! 

AND, I also know that in future meditation circles I am going to go over ‘What to do in case of technical difficulties or other problems!”  So it was a great learning experience as well as the biggest belly laugh I’ve had in a while.

I also sent an email to participants, inviting them to look at what they “did” with the 10 minutes of not knowing what was going on, and yet knowing that we were “supposed” to be meditating.  So in other words, what would you do knowing that it was meditation time, and yet you didn’t hear the facilitator for 10 minutes? Would you continue to meditate?  Would you be peaceful and accept whatever was going on?  Or would your mind try to make a problem out of it?

And how would you respond after you realized the facilitator had actually muted hersefl?  Would you find it funny?  Would you accept it as it is?  Would you feel “jipped” like you missed important content?  Would it be a problem?

When we get to the place where we live from the inside out, things that happen at the level of form don’t really bother us as much.  Things happen.   Calls get muted.  Calls get dropped.  And yet it is what it is!

Posted by lisa in Uncategorized | RSS 2.0

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