Every morning I sit down to meditate. My goal is to quiet my mind, to empty it so when later I'll sit to write, the words will flow into the newly created space.
To do so, I sit in silence, focusing on my breath and the sensations in my body. And then I try to let go of every thought and just be present with what is.
To be honest, most of the time, it doesn't work.
What truly happens is that my body indeed relaxes, but in my mind, there is just chaos. As if all the thoughts and ideas have been sitting at the borders of my mind, waiting for a moment of silence to rush in and have a party.
Everything goes quiet when I begin writing. The chaos in my mind quickly dissolves; what remains is usually the beginning of a new post.
This morning, I couldn't meditate.
I had to care for a person I love.
And, to my surprise, my mind was incredibly quiet while doing that.
By being fully present to someone I love, the chaos in my mind just disappeared. No confusion, no noise, no distractions, no uninvited thoughts.
So, maybe that's the secret to quieting my mind.
To do something I love for someone or something I love.