Much believed myth about meditation: that you have to quiet your mind. That's impossible. So, you watch your mind blather, writhe, wander, etc. and work on not getting involved with what it's doing. When you find yourself having gotten caught up in some train of thought, just drop it and go back to watching the "monkey mind." Eventually, it will start to slow and quiet on its own, if you don't encourage it by "buying into" its chatter. Also, meditation can be quite unpleasant. Being alone with your noisy, mean mind without distraction is often not a very nice experience (for me, anyway!). But, again, the practice of just letting it be the way it is, without encouraging any thought train, good or bad, will allow it to calm down on its own. I've read this process described as being like letting the sediment precipitate out of muddy water. Only works if you let it sit without stirring. By and by the water is clear. The results are gradual. No immediate rewards, unlike eating ice cream or watching TV. But the rewards are potentially limitless, they say. Me, I have to make myself do it, like exercise. But I never, ever regret doing it (unlike excercise!)
