This morning we went to Costco for supplies. This is the scene that met us…

… a line to the back of the parking lot. Everyone is surprisingly polite, keeping a six-foot cushion all around.

Traffic jam at Costco and yet the freeway looks like…

I know none of this is a surprise to you. We are all living in a world where suddenly a term we never used before — “social distancing” — has become as ubiquitous as “like” and “um”.

. . . . .

This month, Kari and I have been attempting to talk about Meditation. Kari shared about it in her recent blog post. Scott Erickson joined us on the pod to share his thoughts on creativity and meditation…

But here I am now; I’m locked in a vacancy.

You would think that meditation would be easier when you are stuck at home all day, abandoned by most all one’s usual daily activities: commuting to work, going to the gym, visiting with friends at a local restaurant… a leisurely trip to the mall. A void has been left in their place.

I’m like those kids in the Breakfast Club, stuck in detention all day but seemingly unable to do the one assignment they’ve been given (that is except Brian… It must be nice to be Brian.)

One might think, with all this extra time, I would fulfill my professed priority of a contemplative life. But of course I don’t. These days, it seems even harder to pick up a book, sit in silence… or pray. I don’t know why that is. Do you?

So, I am left with little more than my typical stolen moments of reflection.

You may have heard me describe them before but here they go again.

Tony’s Little Morning Meditation

My day begins at the top of my stairs…

Each step represents a member of my family. Its an idea I learned from my friend Frank about five years ago.

Step one: My wife. The next three steps for each of my kids. Then my sister. Then her husband and kids.

Step nine is my Bro-in-law. He has cancer. Step ten is his wife and then his kids. Final steps are my wife’s parents.

I only pause for a few seconds on each, a passing moment to remember these people I love.

When I reach the bottom, earbuds go in and I open my Pray As You Go app. Each day they post a ten minute mediation that helps me start my day.

I fill the electric kettle with water for coffee. While it heats, I enjoy a candle ceremony. It may sound cheesy, but who cares. Its meaningful to me.

I start by lighting the five candles in the back. As each bursts to flame I focus my mind on something I want to be true about me that day. I think things like: “good father”, “encouraging friend”, “creative”, “physically active”, “healthy eater”, “loving neighbor”. You get the idea. Each day the five attributes are different.

The eight other candles come next. Each of those represent people or groups of people: friends, my recovery group, creative partners. I often light a candle and ask blessings for “our Pilgrim Lost community”.

Then I go make coffee for me and Aimee.

That’s it.

The whole thing takes about ten minutes.

Oh, before I go, there is one more meditative practice I am enjoying during this quarantine. It is the most delightful act of, um… social distancing.

Every few days I disappear and get some nature therapy: