03.29.09
Calm Within The Storm
I had an incredible experience a few days ago that I wanted to share with you. My wife and I were staying at a hotel in San Jose California. While she was out meeting clients for her business, I decided to stay in hotel room and write. After a couple hours of writing I needed a break so I decided to grab my room key and go for a walk. After fifteen minutes I returned and discovered that my room key no longer opened the door to my room. At this point in time it was 630 at night and I was still in my pajamas. After a few moments of debating what to do in my mind, I decided to suffer the embarrassment and walk down to see the concierge in the lobby. Of course many people laughed and stared at my pajamas, but I made it through. I approached the concierge and described my dilemma of not being able to enter my room. The concierge informed me that because or reservation was in my wife’s name and her and I have different last names, he could not provide me with another room key until my wife returned. After a few moments of trying to reason with the concierge, I finally accepted my fate of being stuck in the lobby in my pajamas. Rather than complaining and fighting the situation I surrendered to it. I found a comfortable place to sit and meditated for 2 hours until my wife had returned. Those 2 hours were the best 2 hours I had ever had in meditation. It was the first time I had ever meditated in a busy public place. Quieting my mind, while meditating in the privacy of my own home, is a challenge as it is. It was amazing to observe how my body wanted to react to all of the voices and comments that people made while walking bye. I learned how to quiet my mind overtime in spite of the exterior chaos. I experienced calm within the storm. To be able to remain still and at one with what is in at that moment made a profound impact on my life. I realized that if I can experience deep peace in a chaotic hotel lobby in my pajamas, I can experience peace anywhere.
Namaste
