BUDDHIST PRACTICE: meditation 5

My theory

I have more ability to meditate whilst doing simple chores, as I do my chores by hand, 'slow and real' style. Rather than live a toss a frozen packet in the microwave and wait two minutes, I chop and slice and grate, mix and stir and blend, boil and bake and simmer.

People all used to live this slower way of life, providing the time to meditate whilst performing chores. In these modern days of the Western world lifestyle, careers are supposedly more important, and the chores become a rushed nuisance. This can easily leave a woman stressed and unable to meditate - unless taking a fifteen minute 'out' and sitting down to do so. I refuse to live that way! It doesn’t work for me.

As society and greed for riches push the Western woman into living a modern full-time working life, we are losing the ability to be natural and stay relaxed whilst cleaning, cooking, gardening, and caring for the children. This brings about a higher stress level that calls for a meditation session to save us from the day, making us spend more time learning how to meditate rather than just naturally doing so whilst living.

Whereas I may not approve of the way the world is headed, it obviously is going to head that way anyway. Insisting upon working from home and living my day at my own pace and speed does not save anyone but myself. I wonder when other people will recognize that once upon a time, men worked away from home. They could come home to a proper meal and clean house, provided by the women who worked within the home, making it look and feel its best for their men. This allowed the man to relax for the rest of his day. This gave both sexes the opportunity to live at a suitable pace. Nowadays, where we are all supposed to seek a 9-5 with high pay, we get lots of money but stress comes along with it in an added dose. Getting the chores done becomes a chore, instead of being able to enjoy doing them whilst relaxing and contemplating. The house is no longer as spotless and meals are no longer so healthy - AND nobody has enough time to meditate naturally. So, one needs to take classes, go on retreat, or make fifteen minutes a day a set time to do so.