Living has always been challenging, certainly more so these days. Recently, I’ve been trying to trace my own path to getting my mind into a good place for dealing with it all.

Just plain aging helps — I’m 82 — as I no longer have the energy to deal with the anxiety. Perhaps it’s useful to think of myself as being in a more “meditative” state of mind at my present state of life. But what does “meditative” mean, and how have I gotten there? I’m sure a major part of this route has been my studying indigenous peoples culture.

I’ve always been a history buff, but some years ago, as I dug into local history, I became aware how thoroughly ignorant I was of local indigenous peoples culture. I’ve always been into nature as a hiker and a camper, so I related to indigenous peoples connection to nature. Reading Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, was a major door-opener for me. It gives you a clear sense of how connecting to nature works for Native Americans.

Indigenous people feel completely connected to and part of the natural world – no degree of separation. I think this is conducive to a consistent thought process, avoiding the constant “skipping around” our thinking often does.

So, what is meditation? From my relaxation therapy I’ve come to think of it as emptying my mind — relaxing to do, but it takes practice. And of course, your mind is never really empty — impossible. Your mind has a mind of its own, and that’s where it goes when you’re not in conscious thought. It’s constantly sorting and processing what’s come into it. So be careful what you let into it!

The dictionary defines meditation as “continuous or extended thought; contemplation.” Words can mean whatever we want them to. They change their meaning as we change the way we use them. Meditation seems to be a pretty general term to me. For me maybe it’s “background thought,” where your brain goes when you’re not bossing it around.

I grew up with a naturalist father, so when I started studying indigenous philosophy and spiritualism, it struck a chord. Constant contemplation of the infinite variety of the natural world was probably always to some extent part of my mental background in a meditative state. Contemplation of the infinite variety of the natural world, the endless complexity of its processes provides you with a mental background that is truly comfortable.

It’s pretty much eliminated anxiety from my life. It works.

Dave Emerson, of Old Ways Traditions in Canterbury, is a woodworker.