How do you make muddy water clear?

Today, I began my first session of a 5-week Beginning Meditation class entitled "Coming Into the Movement, Coming Home to Ourselves" at the East Bay Meditation Center in downtown Oakland.

The past year of motherhood has gone by so fast. I am lucky to get 5 minutes to myself to just sit and think or not think and breathe intentionally. I am always doing, or doing nothing. But all the time I am running so fast and it feels that my real self needs to catch up. There have been struggles emotionally and physically. And motherhood, although 10xs better than I thought it would be, is completely different than I expected. I did not anticipate that my life and perspective would be this way.

I believe in chance. And in all this struggle a few months ago a good friend moved up to the bay for just a few weeks and when we reconnected she told me about a people of color meditation night at the center. I went with her and although I wasn't able to go back it left me an impression of wanting or needing more. My life has something missing whether it is faith, practice or philosophy, I am not sure, but I am open to finding out what it is. I started getting emails from the EBMC and learned of this Beginning Class and felt I owed it to myself to carve in the time during my week to be open to new things.

After today's class, the woman next to me asked "So?" And I said, "I'm in the right place." She replied, "Yes, right time, right place."

How do you make muddy waters clear? ... Lately I have felt my life like muddy waters. Nothing dirty, just imagine a muddy tilapia pond in the Philippines.

To make muddy waters clear, you just let it sit. It is the stirring and movement that makes it muddy.

I have no expecations, but my intention is to take full advantage of this opportunity for myself and for my family. My intention is to let myself sit and seek clearer waters even if it's just for a moment.