I came across this in my files and just had to share it. The wisdom is as brilliant today as it was in 2018.
Those of you who know me will know that I meditate a lot. I have to. It is the only way that works to keep my head above the water. You may have the impression that meditation is all Zen-like and peaceful, yet sometimes that is not the case at all. Take for example this meditation I found myself in.
I was smack in the middle of a hockey game. I’ve never played hockey in my life and I barely skate. I have the puck and I am face to face with another player.
How the heck am I supposed to get past him? Okay, I see one of my players in my peripheral vision to my left. I could pass it to him. But will the puck get intercepted along the way? Will he be ready, will he be able to do anything with it? Fast forward, somehow I manage to get in front of the net with this huge goalie covering ¾ of it. Seriously, I have to outwit this goalie to get this puck into that net. Are the chances even 50/50?
As I watch the scene unfold, I feel disempowered and frustrated, and I wonder how anyone actually enjoys playing hockey. At the same time, I recognize that the players clearly don’t share my perspective—and I realize this moment mirrors how I’ve been viewing life.
The AHA moment- if I see the game of hockey in this way, I also see life in this way. Ouch, that is not good. So I am on a quest to talk to someone who loves hockey.
The Quest for Insight
My husband does not play hockey but certainly watches it a lot. So I share the meditation with him and he looks at me blankly and says “I don’t get it, are you saying that you are not a team player”. I thought about it and realized that I do tend to be a lone wolf, which would come across as not being a team player. But the message in the meditation was not about playing on the team, and more about feeling safe. Could I maneuver all these obstacles, to get to the end goal?
Next, I turned to my son, who has played hockey since he was four. Yes, although I never played hockey, I watched a lot of games on the rep circle for 14 years. Much of the time the games were not enjoyable to watch, for many of the same reasons playing it seemed stressful in my meditation. In this case, it was real life and my kid was out there, against all those obstacles, and I got to hear all the comments from the crowd.
When I shared the meditation with my son, he explained that “when you are playing the game, you are not thinking, you are just doing”. He told me there’s no time to think—you don’t hear the yells from the stands or the coaches. You’re simply focused, doing what needs to be done in the moment. He said you know what you need to do, and what your goal is. Many times it works, and lots of times it does not. But it does not change anything, you just keep playing. You can address some of those things that come up during practices, but in the game, you just play.
Brilliant! These are pretty wise words from my kid.
The Surprising Wisdom
Life is a mixture of practices and game days. Spiritual teachers share this concept with us all the time, “Be in the moment. Don’t think about the past or future, but go with the flow, react, and respond to what is happening intending to get to where you need to go.”
So when life is frustrating, scary, unsafe, or out of control you can be sure you are observing the game of life, instead of being in the moment playing it.
Who would have thought that a meditation about hockey could give such clarity and insight?
Moving into Action
Meditation has been a lifesaver for me! I call it Me-Time. It was the first step on my healing and transformation journey. Meditation led to mindfulness and to the intuition I embrace today. Since it is a pivotal step to changing the patterns that contribute to you being overwhelmed, overstimulated, and having self-doubt, I offer a free Meditation Mentorship.
Start living with more clarity, confidence, and ease today!
Learn about and access this free Meditation Mentorship.
Leanne Giavedoni has emerged as a leading voice in the spiritual coaching and personal development space, offering a deeply integrative and transformative mentorship model for heart-centered individuals navigating major life transitions. As a Certified Spiritual Life Coach and Intuitive Mentor, Giavedoni’s work stands at the intersection of ancient wisdom, energy alignment, nervous system healing, and grounded strategy—an approach designed not merely to empower clients, but to guide them home to their most authentic selves.