Organized religion tends to take itself very seriously, so much so that it seems grim and unyielding to me and many others. So I work on spirituality on my own, there is no dogma but mine, no rules but the ones I agree to or make.

A central element in my spiritual direction is meditating, silence and contemplation. To me, it simply means to be as aware as possible about what is going on in my head and my body and to try to correct what needs to be corrected, and with me, there is always something that needs to be corrected.

My problem is that I never felt safe as a child, so I need to work on myself regularly to be safe. Anxiety can be a sign of mental illness, I was told some years ago, but this afternoon, my therapist said I was being too rough on myself. I just felt unsafe when I was young and carried that fear with me into adulthood.

There is no need to label myself or let anyone else label me. I came to that in meditation.

I am not grim and rarely take myself seriously, so meditation has been a Godsend for me, a path to hope and good.

The world is full of hunger, war and the threat of war, violence and sickness. The billionaire warlords have given us a world that might blow up at any time. Climate change threatens our very way of life.

This can feel and sound overwhelming, and the election rarely gives us  cause for laughter and joy. Politics has become a frustrating and often fearful mess, a test of our endurance and strength.

But for me, the sunrise and landscapes are beautiful, my animals rich in meaning and the history of life with people.  The love of Maria and my dogs and cats and donkeys for me and my love for is wondrous.

In a sometimes fearful world, I have a lot to smile about. To medidate means to me that I can stay in touch with both aspects of living in our world, the good and the bad. This is a good time for my meditation practice.

I have learned in meditation to laugh, cry and search for the good in the world, something I believe exists in almost every human, no matter how much it is denied or buried inside of us.

The reality for me is that I accept reality and joy in meditation and stay hopeful and happy. I’m surprised to say I have never been happier, and I credit meditation with helping me to stay grounded.

Life can be both dreadful and meaningful. I learned early on that I don’t need to be solemn, pessimistic or grim in order to meditate productively.

In fact, in order to meditate successfully and meaningfully, I have to smile and laugh a great deal.

And I do. Meditation lifts me up, and makes me content, every time. There is nothing dour, dense or forbidding about it.