To acquire stillness in the mind is a difficult practice for many of us.  The way we tackle our daily routines have led all of us into becoming multitaskers. Its difficulty isn’t in the attempt to find the time to seek such stillness–it’s the ability to recognize when it occurs that makes it difficult.

I will forever be a student of life, and have no qualms in admitting that when it comes to the practice of stillness in the mind, I continue to receive an “F.”

But, it’s always the effort that counts, right? My efforts, however rare they may be, do manifest from time to time.

During our vacation in Hawaii, as I wrote “Sunrise on New Year’s Eve“–I stopped typing and looked out to that vast ocean and as the warm breeze gently passed on by, the world felt as though it stood still for a moment.

When I’m driving home after a day at the office, there’s that second when I’m walking up to my door, and all around me there’s quiet. It’s a stillness that occurs before opening that door to a happy dog, a ballerina on her pointe shoes practicing in the living room, and the bustling in the kitchen as the husband cooks dinner.

Even now as I’m writing this reflection, the sun is rising and it’s casting a glow through my window–I took a moment to recognize the calm and quiet.

Buddhists believes that we find stillness in the practice of meditation. I have not been a good student of such practices, and I will be the first to admit that I will more than likely continue to practice till the end of my days and will probably not even come close.

But, for now–I’ll count the little recognition of stillness as tiny achievements.

And, I hope that you, wherever you may be, can recognize it too.