It has been a couple long days as I help my best friend, Kris, paint her new house. Being a first time owner and trying to save money for a wood floor and new fireplace facing as well as wanting to purchase a hot tub for the backyard, we decided we would paint all the walls before the new floor gets put in on Monday.
As most of you know, I meditate every day so saying that painting is like meditation sounds funny but I found it to be true. Yesterday was the prep work for our painting, i.e., taping, laying out the dropclothes in certain rooms, etc, that we just were in motion the whole day but we did manage to get an hour or two of primer painting in while we talked. And yes, I felt it last night but by this morning, I was good to go.
This morning, the painting started earlier and since her iPod player was going with lots of great one hit wonders, we were not talking but just listening and painting.
What was interesting to note as the day passed, I got into this intense focus; getting the paint on the ceiling and painting from the middle of the ceiling towards the wall, then down. It almost became like a chant inside me and I realized that I was so focused, that it became like a meditation for me. Everything around me became quiet except the swish of the paint roller. In a way, my movements were like Tai chi chuan or better know in the western world as Tai chi. Fluid and slow but strong. As much as it is a martial art, it is also a way to exercise, that I have found to be better than yoga, most times.
By the time my friend said 'let's call it quits for the day,' my mind was very relaxed as if I had done a couple hours of meditation. So the next time you find yourself having to paint walls, maybe it can be turned into meditation as you work.
Now I am looking forward to tomorrow and more painting meditation.
To your spiritual and mental health, namaste.
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