I’m a pretty calm dude. I’ve always been this way, but it’s a talent I become more and more proud of as and enter middle age.
Life is hard. Adults have more responsibilities than time, more aspirations than years on a calendar. There’s always a good reason to be stressed: thinking about the future, lamenting yesterday’s to-do list.
I meditate daily but only for 10 minutes right when I get up. It’s essential but, truth be told, I don’t think it’s this little morning ritual that carries me through the day.
I think it’s this one:
I write resumes for about 3-4 hours/day. Usually straight through, if I’m lucky.
Wait, he didn’t just say resume writing is his meditation, did he?
Yeah, kinda crazy, but bear with me.
If you ever walk in on me when I’m in the middle of writing a resume, you’d see I’m almost in a trance. If someone says my name, it’s usually a good 5 seconds before I remember where I am and can acknowledge their presence (much to my family’s chagrin, I’m sure).
And it’s not just the writing part that does it. That’s certainly lovely way to stay present, but I think the meditation goes deeper with the mundane shit.
Do you know how many times I’ve bolded and spaced out the letters in the word “Professional Experience,” using only key strokes?
A fucking lot.
Yeah, I could use templates and pre-saved beautifully formatted keywords. Well, sometimes I do… (remember, adults don’t have a lot of time).
But I’ve noticed that when I’m doing it the other way, the long way, I actually start singing. My fingers move without me looking at them. The keys on the keyboard sing back to me. There are no thoughts.
It’s cathartic to watch the format of the characters change in front of me, like a watercolor painter doing a wash, or a child poking his finger into the middle of his mom’s latte.
It’s nuts.
I love it, which makes me feel like a simpleton and a genius all at the same time.
While people are out saving the world and getting promoted, I’m in a small room alone, watching words move around on a page.
I guess the good news is… with enough repetition and lack of effort, you can meditate on anything.
Even Microsoft Word.