Welcome to The Space Within,
A Toast-inspired reflection.
Take a slow breath in now,
And a soft breath out,
Releasing any stress or tension.
Find your comfy space warm and cozy.
Gently close your eyes,
And just let your body soften into the moment.
Long ago,
In a small riverside village,
There lived a humble potter.
Each morning,
Before the sun warmed the earth,
He walked to the riverbank and he gathered clay.
He did not rush,
He did not force,
He just simply listened to the birds,
To the water,
And to the quiet rhythm of his own hands.
One day,
A young traveler stopped to watch him work.
Your pots are so beautiful,
The traveler said,
They must take great skill.
The potter smiled gently.
They are shaped by my hands,
He replied,
But they are made useful by what I do not touch.
The traveler frowned.
The potter lifted a lump of clay and placed it on the wheel.
And as the wheel began to turn,
The clay rose under his steady palms,
Forming walls,
Curves,
And a graceful lip at the top.
When the shape was complete,
He pressed his thumbs into the center and hollowed it out.
Round and round it spun,
Until there was space inside.
The potter stopped the wheel and held up the vessel.
We shape clay into a pot,
He said softly,
But it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.
The traveler looked inside.
It seemed like nothing,
And yet,
It could hold water.
Or grain,
Or flowers,
Or light from a candle.
Without the space,
It was only clay.
The traveler sat very still,
And the potter continued.
In your life,
You are shaping many things.
Your plans,
Achievements,
Identities,
Your stories.
But do not forget the space within you.
That's the quiet,
The pause,
The openness.
He placed the pot in the sunlight.
If you fill yourself completely with striving,
Worry,
Noise,
There will be no room to receive what truly matters.
So,
The river continued to flow beside them.
It was wide and effortless.
The traveler closed his eyes,
And for the first time in many days,
He noticed the space between his breaths.
The gentle stillness beneath his thoughts.
The openness inside his heart.
It did not look like much,
But it could hold kindness.
It could hold courage.
It could hold peace.
The potter returned to his wheel,
And the traveler,
He returned to the road.
But now,
Wherever he went,
He carried something invisible.
It was a quiet,
Open space,
Ready to receive life as it came.
So,
Take another slow breath in,
And feel the space inside you.
And as you breathe out,
Allow that space to soften,
To widen,
To welcome.
The clay may change shape.
The world may turn.
But the space within you,
That is where life gathers.
Make room within.
Namaste,
My friend.
