Shower Meditation

I know, I know, more crap about meditation . . . 

Each time an enticing image or an interesting memory floats by, it is my habit to react, to get entangled, or to get lost.  When painful images or feeling arise, it is my habit to avoid them and distract myself.  I can feel the power of these habits of desire, of distracting myself, of fear and reaction.  These forces of disruption are so fierce that after a few unfamiliar moments of calm, my mind rebels.  Again and again restlessness, busyness, plans, unfelt feeling, interrupt my focus.  I have to steady my canoe, let the waves and rapids wash by me.   

One thread it's not unusual to hear in A.A. is that "I don't do a formal sitting meditation but I do meditate when I'm . . . " and you can fill in just about anything with driving and taking a shower being very popular.  I dunno . . .  Sounds lazy to me.  When I wanted to drink there wasn't no mountain high enough . . . wasn't no river wide enough . . . to keep me from YOU!  The "you" here being alcohol.  I was motivated.  I made time.  I came up with funds.  I reprioritized my priorities so that drinking wasn't edged out.  That being said I can find the time to meditate.  I've got ten or fifteen minutes to meditate especially since the benefits are so massive.  The Book uses the phrase "intensely practical."  I've got to see the benefit to doing something.

Because I'm not an A.A. hard-ass I acknowledge the benefit in being meditative.  The goal of meditating is to place myself in a position where I'm present in the moment at all times.  Like showering or driving my car.  Nothing the matter with that.  I just think it's an attempt to find a loophole to putting in the time and doing the work of actually meditating.  I'm certain there are no references to shower meditation or driving meditation in our literature.  And, BTW, the sections/chapters on prayer and meditation are quite long and quite detailed.