It was around 4am and I had just finished a shift that must have been anywhere between 10 to 12 hours, if not longer. I was driving and operating a fuel and lube truck for heavy equipment, and had just finished a shift on my own, as I usually did. It was a midsummer night just before dawn, and aside from the odd Skunk or Raccoon passing by and saying hi, there was not a single soul around in that Industrial park located out in nowhere. As I pushed the heavy fence gate open, I felt a rush of positive energy. My head was buzzing and I felt the agility and playfulness of a cat.

I stopped for a moment. How was that even possible? Why did I feel so good for no reason? I traced back my days and discovered I had been practicing meditation for weeks, a healthy diet with green juice, listening to uplifting audiobooks that nourished my mind, and worked on any negativity that would pop up on a daily basis. Hmmm … that’s interesting I thought.

If you ask any home builder they will tell you that the most important part of a house is its foundation. You may not see it, but without it, the whole structure would fall apart. A foundation is also the most expensive and difficult to fix at times.

That night I recognized the importance of foundations in our lives, and how they feed us, like the roots of an old tree. Without the proper foundation, we would surely flounder.

And I have kept those foundations since that night. Sure, some things have changed. I do not drink green juice anymore. But I work out regularly, combined with a healthy, well balanced diet.

Our foundations nourish us, and enable us to grow. Everyone is different, for sure. It may be family time for some, playing music for others. Quality time with loved ones for someone else. It is important to notice them and practice them regularly. 

It turns out the most important things in life are indeed free.

I noticed over the following months and years that when I moved away and neglected the foundations, I suffered. There was a restlessness that would set in, an inner hunger that would grow and consume me eventually. This hunger would suck the life out of me somehow.

Even in social settings, we know the person who has neglected his or her inner most needs. They look and sound like a mismanaged house, slowly falling apart. Recovering Alcoholics have a saying: “You can’t expect a tree with bad roots to give good fruits.”

Foundations became important to me. I noticed how, when I meditated regularly, for example, I would feel joy and happiness. And if I neglected it, I would slowly lose my mind, eventually moving around like a hollow puppet.

That is not to say that meditation is important. It is important to me. Because that’s what feeds my innermost hunger as a seeker. For others, it may be something completely different. Because we are all different.

My regular meditation would bring about a feeling of joy and inner peace, and after weeks of practice that feeling of inner peace and joy would carry me with it in everyday life. Not to mention the afterglow that would accompany many meditation sessions. My practice would nurture me, and I would carry it in my everyday life. Socializing with people would become much easier and more joyful. I have to admit that Meditation was my true foundation. 

I eventually changed my life so that I could keep and practice those foundations, attending to their needs and growing through them. I took it so seriously that I even changed careers and have not worked full time in years. Yeah, that’s how important meditation is for me, and the rest of my daily activities. And I have been happier than I have ever been.

Years later I discovered that Buddhism speaks of “Basic sanity”. And how Meditation brings about this sanity, enabling us to find our place between heaven and earth. So for anyone wanting a more elaborate and in depth descriptions, that’s a good place to start.1

One of the best ways to find out what our foundations are is keeping a journal. I have to admit though, that keeping a journal is one of the most difficult things that I have done, and one of the most difficult to keep practicing on a regular basis. It is like getting naked in front of the mirror every day, looking at the worst and best spots on our bodies. It hurts our egos and shatters our precious illusions.

What makes us feel better? What feeds and sustains our soul, our very being? What keeps us sane?

Only someone haunted by years of failure and disappointment would recognize the value of this simple theory and practice. 

Then all of a sudden the big black sky with dark clouds in our head ceases to be random inevitable punishment like that endured by Job in the old testament, but an inherent result of our actions and lack of knowledge (ignorance), which is something we can work with. Something we have power over.

What a relief that is. 

The basis of this assumption is that everything needs a foundation, from which to be held up and sustained. And our foundation as Human beings is the Spirit Within2, this life giving power within that gives us life and sustains us. That’s why it is so important to build a relationship with this power within, our true self, and to cultivate it. Because the more we move away from this power within, or rather our relationship with it, the further we disintegrate, like a house that is not kept up succumbs to its environment and slowly disintegrates. Or as my Master said, we die from nothing.

Once we have this knowledge and have the experience of tangible morning and evening meditations, we find our true home. we come to accept setbacks and dark skies as temporary things. We know and are certain of our true home. Nothing fazes us anymore, at least not like before. Like driving back home from a trip, we may be tired and exhausted. But we know, and are certain of the comfort and joy of our home, knowing it awaits us.

Things will take time. It is not an overnight phenomenon. Just like losing weight, getting fit, or saving a hundred thousand dollars, it will take time and dedication…but not too much.

There is a lot to write here. I will keep this article short and sweet though, simply as an introduction to the topic.

This kind of thinking, my experience, is considered blasphemy in our goal focused, productivity driven culture. To sit down every day for an hour or two and just meditate is considered lazy, child-like. The hustle culture expects us to make use of every waking hour and minute to make money or gain something. Too much of a good thing, it turns out, is not good for you.

What are your true Foundations?

1 Choygam Trungpa, various works. He brought Tibetian Buddhism to North America. There is a lot of controversy surrounding him. However, his books are great in large part due to his writing ability and understanding his audience.

2 Christ in you 1929. In esoteric Christianity it is called Christ within, In Sufism Hu, and in other traditions with their own name. However, I personally like “The great Spirit”