The bird-brained idea that settled my mind

Originally published on Medium on Apr. 25, 2025

Have you ever tried meditation? Did it work for you?

Yeah, me neither.

Part of the problem is that I did it wrong at first. I tried to sit and think of nothing. (Rookie mistake!) It’s basically impossible to think of nothing on demand. Later, I learned that it’s OK to think of things when meditating, but you’re supposed to just sort of notice those thoughts and let them calmly pass. Like, “Hmmm, isn’t that interesting. I feel a deep and burning rage right now. I’ll just let that thought float on by.” Somehow, that didn’t work for me either.

But a few months back, I found a type of “guided thinking” that really does work for me. No, I don’t visualize the life I want to have. No, I don’t send good thoughts into the universe. No, I don’t get in touch with my inner child.

Instead, I think about chickens.

I love chickens. I love the regal beauty of a chicken’s complex feather patterns juxtaposed to its beady little chicken eyes. I love that they have a Zen-like calm at one moment and completely fly off the handle the next. They are a modern marvel, evolved from the mighty dinosaurs who once dominated the earth, transformed into the dim-witted domesticated birds we know today. They are majestic and ridiculous, beautiful and prehistoric, dumb and indispensable.

They are also the perfect protagonists in my quest for calm.

These wonderful creatures wander free-range in my brain, representing my various, conflicting thoughts and emotions. Sending them on adventures is one of best ways to step outside myself and observe. Also, watching them react to daily events is hilarious.

The technique is quite simple. When I need to calm my mind, I set it the classic meditation pose (“crisscross applesauce”) with my eyes closed, and I imagine my thoughts as chickens. Usually, they are roaming in a non-standard format like a rocky beach.

Once I’ve settled in, I imagine how the chickens would react to the day’s events. Feeling tired? I imagine a chicken in a nest floating gently on the waves. Feeling angry? I imagine chickens furiously pecking away at the rocks. Feeling anxious? I imagine the chickens fluttering around the beach in all directions.

As you might imagine, it doesn’t take long before I’m laughing out loud at my bird-brained ideas. The chicken’s feathers may get ruffled when I laugh at them, but hey, they’re chickens. They’ll get over it.

If not, I have the perfect technique to help them out.

The bird-brained idea that settled my mind

This website uses cookies.