I am in the process of re-editing and revising My Wish.

“Make a determination to practice, at least 5 or 10 minutes, every day. Heal your wounded mind. This will help you love yourself, so you can love others.”- Venerable Bhante Sujatha

As I read what I wrote about meditation, these thoughts occurred to me:

Not meditating or engaging in self-reflection is essentially me, ignoring me.I picture my deepest self as a child, trying to get my attention while I stare right through her as if she’s invisible. The monk talks about healing our wounded minds. I believe that our minds (and our inner selves) are injured when we fail to examine them on a regular basis through introspection and meditation.

It’s like refusing to ask the wisest, most powerful, open and vulnerable person in the world.

I understand this. I struggle with my self-image almost every day as I interact with people that seem “better off” than me.

When the distinguished monks on the stage in Sri Lanka opened My Wish, I was pretty sure they would be disappointed in my book about Venerable Bhante Sujatha. I’ve learned that the more intimidated I feel, the less in touch I am with my small but mighty inner self, who always knows exactly what I need.

See, she’s not a little girl. She’s someone with the clarity of a child, the bravery of a warrior, the power of a king, and the wisdom of a dear friend who always wants what’s best for me.

I used to think that ignoring my mind and the deepest parts of myself were smart ways to move on, but I am pretty sure that ignoring our minds and our inner lives has the same impact as ignoring anything. It is not benign, any more than ignoring your hair, your body, or your house.

Neglect hurts, and somewhere inside all of us, there’s an abandoned part that will apply constant pressure until we listen, and see.