I’m still meditating five minutes a day. I can’t say I’ve reached a state of enlightenment yet, or even of greater calm, but I have made a few more observations.

1)    On the third day, a funny thing happened on the way to meditating. I realized I was looking forward to it! Rather than feeling irritated about having to fit it in, I was actually pleased for the brief respite in the middle of my hectic day.

2)    Self-evaluative thoughts still creep in. On a day when sitting down to concentrate on my breath seemed like more of an obligation than a relaxing break, I stole a peek at my watch to see how much longer I had to go. I immediately thought,  “You blew it! You’re not supposed to look at your watch.”

3)    I notice sensations more acutely. Concentrating too hard on breathing made me feel short of breath. An urge to scratch a distracting itch over my right eyebrow faded after I resisted giving into it for ten or twenty seconds; then the itch moved to my right eyelid.

4)    It’s easier to concentrate when there are fewer external distractions—say, a husband eating dessert in the next room. My heightened sensory awareness amplified the clink of his spoon against the bowl to deafening decibels.  And why haven’t I ever noticed how loudly he slurps his ice cream?

I’ll be wrapping up my introductory week of meditation in my next post.