As I’ve mentioned before, my meditation practice, sketchy as it can be at times, has helped me manage some of the challenges of my ADHD. Note I said “helped managed”, not totally eliminated…

Overthinking has always been one of my… strengths…? I can make choosing the setting on the washing machine into a project worthy of a flowchart. (I recently created a spreadsheet to map out which seeds I started in which of those little starter pots because I didn’t have any of those plastic markers or popsicle sticks). But, I digress… another of my strengths 😉

It seems that people promoting meditation like to evoke beautiful images of trees (rooted, grounded, connected, majestic),  mountains, (see trees), and water - (although typically oceans and rivers as opposed to washing machines).

These are all wonderful analogies and they make great Instagram posts - but they’re also the perfect fodder for my overthinking machine of a brain.

Trees - strong and solid and majestic like an oak tree? But our oak trees are suffering from Oak Decline, a combination of factors affecting these old and stately giants in our area. I can relate to age and decline, but I’m not sure I really want that to be the basis of my practice. I mean, meditation is about acceptance and all that, but still…

OK, so if oaks are out, perhaps I should envision a willow tree - flexible enough to withstand strong winds that could take out an oak, graceful, and beautiful. But willows always seem a bit wishy-washy to me, and they have very invasive roots, and they’re prone to diseases, and they tend to need tidying up after rather a lot…

I’ve been consciously working on preemptive tidying since I started my ADHD meds, so that aspect doesn’t really appeal to me, and I don’t honestly think of myself as being terribly graceful (perhaps it was my Mother’s observation that I “polka like a cow” that contributed to this ongoing self-identification as someone lacking grace), but between all the factors, using trees as a visual touchstone perhaps isn’t the best choice for me.

Mountains - as noted, they’re majestic, solid, and grounded  - except mountains get worn down by the elements, (don’t we all), and with all of the volcanos in the news lately, the thought of mountains is probably more likely to engender feelings of violent outbursts than of serenity and strength.   

The same holds true with water. Rivers are so peaceful - until they flood…there is nothing peaceful about a flood.

Ah, the ocean - I love the ocean, but living a few hours from the nearest coast and being someone who rarely takes time off for things like day trips, much less vacations; thinking of the ocean fills me with longing instead of peace.

So, trees? Nope. Mountains? Not so much. Water seems like it should be a natural for me - my horoscope sign is Aquarius, the water bearer, but, surprise, surprise! Aquarius is actually an air sign, not a water sign! Who knew? (OK, probably a lot of people, but I didn’t learn that until a few years ago!)

So back to my breath, it is! It doesn’t make as cool an Instagram graphic as a mountaintop or the endless waves of the ocean, but it’s the most portable, ever-present touchpoint we have at our disposal - and I'm OK with that! And it’s not as emotionally charged or conducive to volatile thinking as the other options - so that is definitely a point in its favor.

One of the primary benefits of meditation is equanimity - which Mirriam-Webster.com defines as, “evenness of mind, especially under stress”.  And by allowing my focus to rest gently on my breath, this becomes a real possibility… as long as I can keep my mind off Oak Tree Decline, floods, and volcanos,