Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Today’s routine was broken when I woke up late and then my sick two year old woke up shortly thereafter crying and sniffing. At first there was irritation and self-recrimination: why hadn’t I just gotten up when my alarm first went off? But, as I turned toward my daughter’s suffering, my own took a back seat.

And, really, what else am I practicing for? If I am truly concerned for the welfare of others, for myself, then how can I view a sick child as anything but the perfect practice opportunity?

And, it was.

For the first time I was able to calm her down and her cries for mamí subsided as I did tonglen for her and infused her with metta. It was actually a really nice experience. Plus, when my wife was fine in the shower I snuck in 3 minutes 43 seconds of seated meditation. Not bad at all if I say so myself.