Compassion For Thursday

Friday doesn't have to get all the attention. Join me in showing Thursday some compassion, and learning to give others some compassion along the way as well, and maybe even some for ourselves too! I have also included a great prayer by St. Francis.

Transcript

Hello and thank you for joining me on this Thursday. I've done a great job making it through the rest of the week up to this point and I appreciate you showing up today. So I feel like Thursday doesn't really get a lot of attention. Monday catches a lot of flack. Tuesday, At least for me, Is Taco Tuesday or whatnot. People can give it some credit and some love. Wednesday is the middle of the week. It's hump day. Friday, You know, TGIF. Everybody loves Friday, But nobody ever talks about Thursday. I find that interesting. So maybe it's safe to say we can have a little compassion for Thursday. So today I'd like to talk a little bit about compassion. It's as good a day as any for it. And I'm going to start with the St. Francis prayer, Often called a force for good. I like to find wisdom wherever I can find it. I don't normally follow many of the Saints, But when they have something powerful to say, I definitely, Definitely give credit where it's due. In this prayer, He prays, Lord, Make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, Let me sow love. Where there is injury, Pardon. Where there is doubt, Faith. Where there is despair, Hope. Where there is darkness, Light. Where there is sadness, Joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand. To be loved as to love. For it's in giving that we receive. And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it's in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. The part in that that stands out to me is where he asked to not so much seek to be consoled as to console. And that to me speaks of that desire to have selfless compassion. So today, While we're sitting here in our meditation, I'd like to have that intention set. We are doing a meditation today to settle our own self. Settle our mind. So that we can face the world, Face our day from a place of compassion. So with that, Let's go ahead and get started on this meditation. Go ahead and find a comfortable seated position, Whether that is in your favorite chair, Meditation pad, On the floor. As long as you can sit in an upright position to remain relaxed yet alert. And just breathe normally. Rest your hands on your lap, Palms up or down, Whatever you find is more comfortable. And go ahead and get out any other fidgets or settling that you need to. And start by noticing your surroundings. Be aware of everything in the room around you. The temperature of the room, Warm or cold. Observing without judgment, Just noting. Maybe note the points of contact between you and the chair or your body and the floor. Note the feeling of the air as we breathe, Maybe as a cool sensation in the nostrils. Feeling your chest expand and rise with each breath. And then lower and relax with each breath out. Maybe noting the subtle sound of the air entering and exiting. And as we sit here, Just contemplating and feeling what it's like to be compassionate. Maybe thinking of the feeling we've had when somebody showed us compassion. Maybe when we weren't expecting it or maybe when we felt like we didn't deserve it but received it anyway. And think of providing that to somebody else. Thinking of the comfort and acceptance we can provide somebody else just by showing them some compassion for their situation. And let's let the realizations sink in and take root that everybody deserves compassion. And we can show that compassion in many ways, Big or small. It can be as simple as noticing some stranger that we see and providing them a smile, Showing a little friendliness towards them. As simple as holding a door open. Small acts of kindness can compound. And also extending that compassion to ourselves. I'm just as guilty of the occasional negative self-talk. Maybe I do something wrong. Maybe drop and break something fragile. Forget to return a phone call. And oftentimes when those things happen, It's easy for us to tell somebody else, No worries, That's okay. But we're very hard on ourselves when we turn around and experience the same thing. So it's important to extend that compassion to you as well. Continuing to sit for just a little while longer. Cultivating that compassion for ourselves and for others. Maybe thinking of that compassion as the flame of a candle. You can use that one candle to light many, Many more candles. And the flame on that first candle is not diminished in the slightest by sharing that light. We can do the same thing with compassion that we share throughout our day. We don't all have to be St. Francis. But if we all do a little bit every day to spread some kindness, Some compassion and some understanding. If everybody can do that, Or if even a lot of us can do that, It can help make the world a much better place. So with that, Let's go ahead and wrap up for today. As always, If you would like to continue this practice, Feel free to pause the recording and sit in this practice for as long as you like. And once you're done and ready to wrap things up, Go ahead and start with some slight movements in the toes and fingers. Spreading that up to the ankles and wrists. Maybe straighten your legs out. Gently open your eyes if you had them closed. Or relaxing your focus if you were choosing to focus on that stationary point. Go ahead and take a big deep breath. Maybe open your chest and raise your arms. And then let them drop to your sides with a big sigh. Thank you for joining me today. Know that you are always welcome here. Your presence matters. Your compassion matters. You matter. Go in peace.