DO Touch That Dial!
How I learned a new way to change the channel of my thoughts
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Tuning Into a Better Channel
The other day a friend of mine shared the challenges of caring for an aging parent, her father. “I’m furious at him for growing old and losing his mind,” she said.
That touched my heart from two directions.
I am 73 years old. When my memory takes a nap instead of recalling the name of a neighbor, I get anxious about losing my own mind. I also recall the emotions that roiled me during the decline and passing last year of my Dad, who was 96.
Yesterday my friend said things are going better. “I am trying to tune into a better channel,” she said.
I loved that.
It reminded me of how my sitting practice allows negative thoughts to settle into silence. Sometimes just a few minutes on my cushion is enough to change the channel.
But what would the Federal Communications Commission call sign be for that channel? I asked ChatGPT to give me some ideas, stating that I wanted call signs beginning with the letter K. The best one was KARMA, but that wasn’t quite right.
On my own, I considered words that comprise just three letters. How about NOW? That fits my experience of mediation, which usually returns me to the present moment.
When I added a “K” to complete the call sign, I was delighted to see that it spelled KNOW. Genius!
Following Richard Rohr, I begin my sitting meditation with these words: Be still and know that I am God.
On its first try, ChatGPT created a funny seagull illustration for Radio KNOW. (See image above.)
I better remember people’s names when I attach images to them, an old memory trick. That’s why I am grateful for a visual that makes me smile and reminds me throughout the day to tune into a better channel.