Vase breathing – like a virgin

I decided to go to a Buddhist class well over a decade ago now. My very first formal meditation session was a breathing session for about an hour. Some hippy-looking dude who seemed to have stumbled out from Glastonbury or got lost on the way back from Woodstock was giving teaching. He talked about the fake flowers appearing to be real flowers and I thought to myself, “this is kinda weird,” but I went with it. The girl sat opposite me was wearing one of those OM necklaces. Which I had never seen before, it was new, exciting. But I wonder: Where she is now? Is she still alive?

It makes me think: I rarely treat my meditation like it’s my last ever meditation. If this could be the final one, then maybe, perhaps maybe I would actually pay attention. Maybe the girl sat opposite me on that beautiful day…