As Mark said, our mother went to a support group at UMass medical center. They taught her about different ways to care for herself to help her through the cancer and the treatment. She said they suggested she meditate daily for 20 minutes or so. She tried. She said she didn’t like it and couldn’t do it.
So she decided to make a meditation garden instead. She said that this way she was taking “her thing” and still using “their thing” so the making of the garden was her meditation.
The Meditation Garden was at one end of the ‘English Wild Flower’ garden. It occupied a space once used for a small basketball court when the kids were young. It had a bench to sit on, a dripping bamboo fountain and Japanese style plants in addition to the well placed stones found everywhere in New England. The whole area was surrounded by a thigh high bamboo fence. The entrance was a Japanese style wooden ‘arch’ with vines growing up and across it.
Meditation can be a difficult thing to do. Especially when one is going through the rigors of breast cancer. (Or any kind of cancer, for that matter). That fight to ‘sit quiet’ is addressed somewhat in the post titled: Sitting Quiet. The mere act of designing and making the meditation garden is actually a form of meditation. Instead of clearing the mind, it distracts the mind. Any hobby or craft can be a help for those not prone to meditation. The act of creating, whether it be a painting a picture, knitting a pair of mittens or creating an entire garden space can be very therapeutic.
Remember, not all the information found here will be the best fit for every person. Use what works for you, (with input from your support team), and leave the rest. Our Thoughts are with you.
Audio: Day lily, The Meditation Garden
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