Day 28: What to Do When You Miss a Day

I have missed days of practice. Many of them. Life gets busy, travel disrupts routines, sometimes I am just lazy. For years, when I missed a day, I would feel guilty. And then that guilt would make me miss another day, because I felt like a failure. It took me a long time to learn something important: the fact that you notice you missed a day is the evidence that the practice is working. If you were completely unconscious, you would not notice. The noticing is the awakening. So when you miss a day, do not punish yourself. Do not add guilt to the list. Just lie down again tomorrow. Keep your eyes open. Soften your gaze. Breathe. Watch the waves. No drama. No apology. Just return. That is the only skill that matters.