Be aware of a story. The moment I realize that I am telling myself a story I know that I am not in the here any longer; I am away somewhere in the past or in the future watching an imaginary film. The moment I am aware of that I can choose: shall I stay in a story or shall I leave it and get into the presence, into the here and now.
I have been walking on the beach, enjoying beautiful weather; if I want to have a break from the busy every day, from planning and fixing and remembering what to do the beach is a great place to take such a break, a break from thinking. So I do my walking meditation on the beach. It means that I completely focus on the sensation my body perceives; I hear the sound of waves; I smell the freshness of the air, I feel my feet on the sand, step by step, just soaking in the sensations that this moment is bringing to me.
And then my mind sneaks in and after a moment I discover that I don’t see El Mar but a shopping list. My mind is attacking me with its stories: shopping story this time, so I remove myself from it getting back to the cold, grainy sensation of the sand under my feet. But the mind is here again, this time the subject of the story is more alluring; a dress I could buy for myself, I could even look quite well in it and maybe impress some people. This time the story my mind is telling me is very pleasant, entertaining, but I can take a step back from it and see it for what it is – another story. And I have a choice, I can stay with it or I can get back into the here and now.
Due to practice of meditation I am in position of choosing. I can easily realize that my mind is talking, and I can decide about the next step; do I want to stay in the story or do I want to leave it. I am in charge. I have more space to roam in. That’s why I love meditation.