This is where reflection begins.
Your notebook is welcome here,
But your presence is enough.
Let's start with a question.
What quiet moment or memory is tugging at me today?
I'll start with a story.
This morning I noticed a red-bellied robin outside my window.
It stood there,
Its feet in the green of the grass.
Just that moment.
Just that breath.
I watched him with curiosity.
The world around him melting away in that moment as he searched for sustenance.
In me,
I felt a shift.
What could be possible from being present in just that moment?
The wider stress fades away.
The colors look sharper,
Crisp,
Vibrant.
The green of the grass becomes textured and I can see all the different shades.
In life,
We can pause.
We can slow time.
We can slow down.
Where else in your life can you be right here,
Right now?
Maybe it's at work.
Maybe it's on your drive home.
Maybe it's while you're sharing a meal.
How can you slow and notice the moment?
How can you call on your creative mind?
What is your favorite sense?
Is it sight,
Looking at the various textures,
Colors?
Or is it sound?
Do your ears perk up when a car drives around?
Maybe it's smell.
What do you notice when you're outside?
What does it bring forward?
Which memories show up?
If your notebook feels close,
Jot something down.
How will you document and hold close this moment,
Just this moment?
Letting your mind wander as it should,
As it's meant to,
And softly,
Gently,
Gently,
With compassion,
Bringing it back.
Bringing your thoughts and your focus back to your breath.
A deep inhale and a slow and intentional exhale.
Just this moment.
Just this breath.
When I see another robin in the yard,
Moving through the grass,
I wonder if it's the same one I saw before.
Or maybe it's a completely different one.
Different thoughts,
Different intentions,
Different ideas.
When we see ourselves the next day,
We are different.
Different thoughts,
Different ideas,
Widened perspectives.
Every day is a new opportunity to press restart,
To begin again.
Every day is a new opportunity to press restart,
To begin again.
A deep inhale and a slow and intentional exhale.
Letting your mind go where it needs to go,
And gently calling it back.
Where else in your life can you slow down time?
To take a moment,
Just this moment,
For yourself,
Is a beautiful act of compassion.
Compassion starts with the self.
Letting your shoulders soften,
Even more,
And sinking into the surface below you.
What do you notice?
Which senses pop out?
If your notebook is close,
Jot down the first image or word that shows up in your mind.
Knowing that this moment is just this moment,
And this breath is just this breath.
When we allow ourselves to slow,
To pause,
To ask questions of what we see and what we notice,
The stress we carry in our shoulders and in our hearts can melt away,
Even if for just that moment.
I leave you now,
With a final thought,
A final breath.
If something stirred,
Let it land on the page.
Even a single word is enough.
