Their toes fluttered between the blades of grass as they placed their cushion beneath their tailbone for support. Gabby watched from the park bench, wondering how long the group would be sitting today. There was something intangible about all of them moving almost in unison to find their individual stillness.

Your soul needs this.

Gabby startled themself after hearing their voice from within.

“Me? Meditate?” Gabby asked, a little taken aback that they had responded to their own internal voice.

“Pfft”, they managed to mouth out loud. They looked around quickly, hoping no one heard them.

Your soul needs this.

Gabby reached down to wipe the sand off their shoe. They have been coming to the park every day since moving to San Diego. Not once did they consider joining the group of yoga-loving meditators. Gabby wondered why their interest wasn’t in the rollerbladers cruising down the sidewalks or the group of musicians jamming out on the beach. They did mention to their roommate that they wanted to try a new class or activity, but meditation was not what they had in mind.

“My legs will fall asleep”, they thought to themself.

That sounded like a good enough excuse to not entertain the idea any longer. But that day, it wasn’t satisfying. They became more intrigued by the idea of sitting still and quieting their mind. Moving across the country had been challenging, and the depression and anxiety would come crawling back if they didn’t find something to help break up their busy work life. The thought of that made Gabby shiver.

Your soul needs this.

“My soul needs something, but meditation ain’t it.”

Gabby took a deep breath and fixed their sunglasses. They watched the group as they sat in silence. They were so still and peaceful. They were well on their way to mental paradise. Gabby wondered if they held their breath at all because so little movement happened in their bodies. It was a bit unsettling yet intriguing.

It was almost 6:00, and Gabby knew their last article wasn’t going to write itself before tomorrow’s deadline. They pulled their keys from their pocket and looked across the group of meditators. There was a woman in the back row who Gabby noticed attended every session. They hadn’t thought much about her except Gabby figured she must be the most enlightened person in San Diego as much as she meditated. They wondered if the woman, whose dark brown locs grazed the bottom of her bra strap in her perfect posture, would answer their questions about meditation. Maybe she would invite them to a session.

Gabby caught themself wandering off in their thoughts and abruptly turned to walk to their car. They turned around one more time to look at the meditators and saw the woman with the dark brown locs looking back at them. Gabby gasped.

Your soul needs this.

“Yeah yeah. I know.”

They couldn’t help but grin as they left the parking lot, shoes filled with sand. It wasn’t just another day at the park.