“You have to go to this lecture on meditation next Tuesday night. My wife doesn’t want me to go,” Ralph, my fellow student whispered to me during classes at the hospital.
A lecture in
a sweet-smelling room
“What is meditation? If your wife does not want you to go, why should I?” I asked him, slightly puzzled.
He answered, ”It will be good for your consciousness.”
I rolled my eyes, “What in the world is that?!”
That was 1973. I was 20 years old, and really had never heard of meditation. I don’t remember why I went to the talk, but I was intrigued, so I drove alone to a lecture given by a thin guy in his late 20′s.
He had very clear eyes, was clean shaven, seemed very happy and wore a suit and tie. The room smelled of sandalwood incense although I did not know that’s what it was at the time.
The little moments
which change whole lives
That day, I signed up to learn Transcendental Meditation and have practiced meditation twice a day for 38 years. I happily reported back to Ralph, but his wife still did not allow him to get involved.
I’m not sure if it was luck, fate, or serendipity that I happened to leave college after one year, then take classes at that hospital where Ralph happened to be at the same time, but I am grateful for that moment in my life.
That moment of fate changed the trajectory of my life.
I’m not sure what other path I would have followed, but I became more clear, centered, intuitive and happy. My decisions became based on following my heart. I moved to Florida which I had dreamed of doing, and once there, just happened to meet many meditators in that community.
I became more health conscious and became a vegetarian. After living in Florida for three years, I decided to finish my college degree in Iowa, where all the students and faculty meditated twice a day.
My fellow students were a joy and delight to be with. We were not interested in the normal drinking party college scene, but we did have fun at dances and get togethers. Our conversations were interesting, thought-provoking and often philosophical. I’m not saying this is the best or right for everyone, but it worked for me and I am grateful for it.
I felt lucky then, and feel it now. Does that mean that everything goes my way? Not at all. I just choose to notice the serendipitous moments instead of the crappy ones.
— Lenora Boyle
For the past 25 years Lenora Boyle has been jetting people past their limiting beliefs and helping them live a more enriched happy life through coaching, workshops, and her Retreats For Women to Live La Dolce Vita, the sweet life.
This post was originally published in Lenora’s blog.
