I know the feeling of getting ideas during meditation, like related to blog, I've experienced that and I was having similar ones even before I even had a blog. Back then it was about work, or sorting some things out. I guess those arise due to the mind being clearer but they're not the ultimate frontier. Buddha hasn't meditated to get blogging ideas :) Never got further than a little piece of mind from meditation although I meditated for years. Probably living away from civilization would change something. I still meditate once in a while but, pauses are affecting my meditation's quality, if there is as such...
It's hard to keep the practice up for sure. It takes years of sustained practice to really feel the benefits, and then it's constant hard work (right effort) - I did do Zen classes for a while, the instructor said a good hour a day is what was necessary, every day, and if you're 'on the path' constant mindfulness of everything is also required - the meditation is just a supplement.
It's a very easy practice to quit!
I think there's still benefits and even if your mind is wandering during a session of whatever length, I feel that at least those thoughts have had a chance to get out, probably means you'll be calmer of mind during the rest of day.
Ultimately I think the best advice I read was Shunyru Suzuki - Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, chapter 1 - the purpose of sitting is just to sit, nothing more.
I agrer, the purpose of meditation is just to sit and never liked meditating on music or for a purpose. I started medtitation about a year before I started practice yoga and quit it at the same time I quit yoga. I still meditate once in a while but it's not the same anymore. It should be taught in schools in my opinion.
Yoga's a form of meditation if you ask me!
Ad long as it's meditation and not mindfulness. I can't stand the later taken out of it's broader context. It just winds me up - people 'acting' mindful rsther than being mindful if you get me gist.
People are acting in too many situatioans these days