A year and a chocolate

So, first session of the year. For some reason I am a little nervous as I enter the meditation hall thinking back on a year of meditation classes. I go through the motions of taking off my coat, shutting off my cell phone and positioning myself on the meditation chair. I scan the room looking for the regulars (now called core by the teacher) and pick out a few. “This is my year anniversary of meditating,” I chatter away. No special kudos from anyone, maybe a smile and a nod. Like the past year, we start with stretches and then the  introduction of people new to the group. Unfortunately, there was no magical transition into a better meditation after the year marker, but all in all, not bad. As we put our chairs away, I again chatted about passing the year milestone. “Wait,” said the leader’s new husband, “I bestow this gold coin token upon you at this momentous occasion.” He pulled a large gold coin out and handed it to me. “And best of all,” he continued, “you can eat it because it is chocolate!” I had to laugh. This was the best response.