Many years ago, I was listening to an experienced meditation teacher counseling a student about her practice. The student complained that every time she sat to meditate an owl started to hoot outside her window. She seemed frustrated and lamented that this owl was disturbing her meditation.
I remember thinking, “Ah, so perfect. This owl is a gift. You get to practice letting the owl be what it is. You can let the hooting happen and gently bring your awareness back to the breath.”
I was shocked when the teacher recommended that the student buy a pair of ear defenders to shut out the sound of the owl. I couldn’t believe it; I was incredulous. I actually felt a little angry.
This morning, as we sat down to meditate, Cindy and I discussed the owl scenario, and we brainstormed for solutions. She suggested, “How about putting the ear defenders on the owl?” This idea sent me into a round of belly laughing that knocked me off my meditation cushion. There is something perfect about that “solution” to the problem, and something impossible about the challenge it represents. “The next time it happens, go put ear defenders on the owl.”
I can see that owl in my mind’s eye, sitting there on the branch, with feathers ruffled from a struggle. It has a pair of bright-red ear defenders perched on its head. All it has to say…
