So here I am, snaking through freeway traffic downtown, hurrying to make up time because I'm late for the meditation session I lead every Wednesday night.  It's 7:15pm, and I should already be at the Quaker Meeting House, because it normally takes 10-15 minutes to unload supplies, unlock doors, and set up the space for our Meditation Circle, which starts at 7:30pm.  I feel silly, being all too aware of the contradictions involved in rushing to get to the place where I'll be encouraging others to slow down and relax...   Still, I'm also aware that it's not fair to keep people waiting.  Hence the tension in my belly as I make my way past the mid-town congestion and come barreling down Hwy 281 with my foot mashing the accelerator, my mouth murmuring a sacred chant, and my mind busy trying to reconcile the two...
 
But once again, Spirit enlists some assistance on my behalf in the form of the drivers in three separate cars traveling alongside each other, spread across the freeway in front of me.  Part of me is desperate to find some way around this moving roadblock and get to my exit, which I know lies just a mile or two ahead - while another part of me is smiling at the foolishness of the whole situation.  Not having any other option, I'm forced to relax, lift my foot off the gas and have a good laugh.  Nothing to do but trust that everything will turn out fine - and that it really is more important to slow down and enjoy the ride than to try to make it to my destination "on time"  on this occasion. The last few miles of the drive are much more pleasurable.
 
Sure enough, I arrive precisely at 7:30, and several folks are standing outside the locked door, including some I've never seen before.  "Great," mutters my monkey-mind, "this 15 minute-setup is going to be really embarrassing."  But, lo and behold, James comes up to carry my basket, and Jane takes the CD player out of my hands and sets it up, ready to play.  Ellen creates the altar space, Susan takes the key and unlocks the restrooms while Daniel glides over to light the candles and set out the offering basket.  Meanwhile, I set the thermostat, slide into my seat and breathe into the amazing ballet which has unfolded so gracefully and almost wordlessly all around me in this elegantly simple space the Quakers graciously share with us.  I check my watch and am astonished to see that it's only 7:33.  I ring my bell and all is well as we begin our group meditation. My heart is filled to overflowing with gratitude for this amazing experience of love and support.  I lift up a simple prayer:  May I learn to truly trust that this level of love and support is always available.  Always.  Everywhere.  All that is lacking is... my awareness that nothing is lacking.  That's my prayer, and I'm sticking to it.
 
With gratitude and blessings,