Every 15 years, I seem to be transported into a new stage of being: 

• 1^st Increment, 1 to 15: I’m a kid.
• 2^nd Increment, 15 to 30: I’m a kid who thinks she’s an adult.
• 3^rd Increment, 30 to 45: I’m an adult who wishes she were a kid.
• 4^th Increment, 45 to 60: Learning to embrace my age.
• 5^th Increment, 60 to 75: The body fails & the mind wanders, but I finally love who I am.
• 6^th Increment, 75 to 90: ?

In Insights From the 5^th Increment, I’ll share some of the amazing things I’ve discovered along the way.

MEDITATING FOR THE FOCUS-IMPAIRED

Everyone, from my therapist to my 12-step group to People magazine, agrees meditation is good for the mind and body, but for me, that state of mindfulness is next to impossible to attain. For instance, they say to start by concentrating on something peaceful, like a river. Okay, I see the river. Beautiful. Running in front of my house. Then I see my house. Not so beautiful. Needs a paint job. Then I think of how much the paint job will cost and how much overtime I’ll have to put in to cover it. Suddenly I am thinking about work, money problems, and chores that need to be done. Not at all healing to my over-stressed soul.

Someone came up with a solution that I think is worth sharing. It is the meditation mandala, and you can print one off from your computer. Just google meditation mandala and you’ll find a plethora of lovely designs that range from simple to labyrinthine. Once you print it, find yourself a quiet place, some colored pencils or pens and begin. Concentrating on coloring the lines of the mandala’s powerful symbolism are a form of active meditation. So easy, and who knew?