“Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you. Then it will really be a good day.” ~ Br. David Steindle-Rast, from the Insight Meditation: A Good Day, A Grateful Day To feel that the world is beautiful, that life is beautiful, is to experience pure joy. To open your heart fully. To share that experience requires complete vulnerability. One of my closest friends shares seemingly everything that brings her joy – her favorite music,…
During meditation today, I felt myself in a heaven/earth moment with the universe. Akin to the Aikido movement of the same name, the moment pivoted on an exchange of energy. But instead of being thrown to the floor, the universe and I danced. Aikido is often translated as “the way of unifying with life energy” or “the way of harmonious spirit” – a fitting metaphor for this experience. Rather than resisting the universe, I harmonized…
In a recorded seminar I watched today, the presenter asked: What are the five best things you’ve learned about life? Here’s my current list. What’s yours? 1. Be patient during the rough times and grateful for the moments of grace and wonder.Everything — no matter how horrible, no matter how glorious — changes eventually. Our very lives are defined by our mortal, fleeting natures. 2. Be open to the unexpected and curious about the shifts. We…
I sat on the couch at my therapist’s office, back when we could still go into offices for therapy so I know it was before March of 2020. How much before, I won’t hazard to guess. But it wasn’t all that long ago. I don’t know what the topic of the hour was, only that I had one of those ugly crying moments as I heard myself say “if only I could make the voices…