This is an invitation and an invocation of letting some goodness into our life.
A meditation of finding sweetness,
Of seeing the beauty of it all,
Of seeing the goodness in ourselves,
Of letting it be sweet,
Be okay,
Of letting ourselves feel blessed,
Of seeing the grace of it all for a moment.
So many of us spend so much time on the self-improvement project.
We look for our flaws,
Work for our defects,
Seek to refine ourselves,
To redefine ourselves,
To fine-tune this,
To become more aware of that,
To do that differently.
And all of these are sensible and noble things.
Taking radical personal responsibility is a good and great thing.
Looking bravely at ourselves is a tremendous attribute.
Cultivating and growing ourselves are all things well worth doing.
It's how we change,
We shift,
We grow.
There's bravery in looking deeply.
And yet sometimes there's also bravery in letting it be good just as it is,
In savoring the sweetness that is here,
In being with the enormous miracle of everyday life,
Of being a human being,
Sitting,
Breathing,
Being part of this planet.
So rest down now.
We'll take a break for goodness,
For grace,
For sweetness,
For savoring it all.
Settle,
Feel body breathing.
Let your eyelids close.
Come in a little closer to your inner experience.
To this feeling of having a body,
Of being part of this place.
To the grace of taking this time to pause,
To be still,
To meditate,
To savor,
To sink into sweetness.
Bring in a sense of gratitude for being alive in this moment in history of amazing music and literature.
Think about this planet on which we live.
This earth that whirls through space,
That has a sun that rises every morning,
That has stars above us,
That has clear skies and clouds and water and rain and flowers that burst through.
Of all the animals,
Of oceans and rivers.
It's literally astounding life on earth.
It is so complex and yet so ordinary.
Rest.
Rest with gratitude.
Rest into some gratitude for this moment.
For sitting wherever you're sitting,
For listening,
For your own sweetheart that takes time to meditate,
To improve,
To be with it all.
Feel gratitude for all the people in your life,
For all the kind words,
For the smiles from strangers,
For the texts from friends,
For the acts of generosity,
For the thoughtfulness,
For the kindness,
For the way that humans we show up for each other.
And yes,
Sometimes harm is done,
But sometimes great goodness and great generosity,
Great sweetness.
Give thanks for this body that sits and breathes and settles.
For a nervous system that can become soothed and still and soft.
Give thanks for food.
For earth that supports growth of plants,
For farmers and trucks and supermarkets.
For the power to cook it on.
For kitchens and pots and pans.
All of these things are so ordinary in day-to-day life and so remarkable.
Give thanks for whatever device you're listening on.
For electricity,
For technology,
For the internet.
For apps that let humans meditate together across the world.
Give thanks for the mystery,
For the unknown,
For all the strange twists and turns that our lives take.
For the good that arises when we weren't expecting it.
For the fact that things do change and good does come and sweetness does show up.
Give thanks for this human heart,
Its ability to be with the adventure of it all.
To feel deeply,
To be touched by life,
To look deeply,
To journey deeply in our inner landscapes.
To be inspired and uplifted.
And we'll take a few minutes now for you to thank whatever it is you want to thank.
To notice the goodness in your life.
To notice what's lifting you up,
What's supporting you,
What's sustaining you.
Bring it to mind or speak it out loud if you're in a place where you can do that.
Honor the good.
There is wisdom in turning towards the good and seeing what is right.
In letting ourselves be blessed for a moment.
Letting that land in our body and open our heart.
Open your eyes,
Look around you.
You are here,
Alive,
On this day,
In this moment.
Do not take that for granted.
I know sometimes life feels like drudgery or work.
And yet there is a gift here.
There is preciousness in this human life.
May we see it,
May we seize the day,
May we strive forth,
May we give our gifts.
May we be the kind stranger,
The one that smiles,
The one that shows up,
The one that sends that loving text.
May we dare to let the goodness in,
May we dare to share the goodness.
May we dare to live with gratitude,
With happiness.
May we dare to open our hearts to the beauty of it all,
To open our hearts to ourselves,
To others.
Soften your body,
Receive,
Let it in.
Let yourself be touched by life.
Tenderized,
Opened,
Maybe even in awe of the extraordinariness of this ordinary day.
So I thank you for taking the time to practice with me here today.
For daring to show up and be a whole-hearted human.
For daring to let it be good,
To see the good,
To celebrate the good,
To give thanks for the good.
Thank you for the gift of you and for the gift of your practice.
May you be well and happy and surrounded by extraordinary sweetness.
May you drink it in and delight in it.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
