Think Your Thoughts: A Slow Canoe Trip Through Your Mind

An easy-to-follow process to help you think your thoughts and enjoy the view.

I want to do a better job of thinking my thoughts. Can you relate?

Sometimes it feels like society pushes us across the surface of life’s water like one of those tremendously powerful speed boats. These boats can move from point A to point B with incredible speed; but they often crash, produce a cacophonous roar, and completely disrupt the natural order of things beneath the surface.

I long to be more like a slow canoe that gently glides upon the water — where the occasional swoosh of a paddle and droplets of water are the only sounds created. The fish below aren’t bothered by its passing. The movement is steady and sustainable.

So how does one move through life more like a slow canoe? I suppose there are many possibilities and a variety of good answers (I would love to hear yours), but I want to share one process that has been helpful for me in recent months. It is a simple form of reflection called philosophical meditation.

Philosophical Meditation

The basic idea behind philosophical meditation is to think your thoughts more completely. All too often our thoughts flash through…