Hope In Tricky Times

A meditation to bring a sense of hopefulness and restfulness into your day. Hope is a quality that we can cultivate, that we can choose to call into our lives. In this session we will work out our mind-muscle at believing that things will work out well, at trusting that change will come; and at finding a sense of peace within whatever it is that we are currently going through.

Transcript

This,

Too,

Will pass.

I know,

I know,

That sentence is so often said as some kind of passive platitude that we can use as a pacifier.

It will pass.

It will get better.

But really,

It will.

Change will come.

Things do shift,

Like the seasons turn,

Like the sun rises and falls,

Like the tides get pulled by the moon.

Your life will change,

And whatever is hard right now will shift.

Let hope happen to you.

Trust in the mysterious unfolding of things,

And let go a little,

And let there be some delight in today.

Sometimes the only way out is through.

And as Winston Churchill once famously said,

If you're going through hell,

Keep going.

In this meditation,

We're going to bear to be with this moment,

To be with what is,

To sit by ourselves with whatever we're going through,

And also to follow the threads of hope,

To trust that change is coming.

Rest down,

Place your hands somewhere on your body that comforts you.

See if you can soften some,

See if you can sigh.

We'll take the next 10 minutes as a place of rest and refuge to restore ourself as we go through a tricky time.

Deepen your breath,

Touch into your heart,

To your feeling body.

Take some time to be with yourself in this moment of whatever you're going through.

Give yourself the gift of your own attention.

Come in close to yourself,

Inviting a sense of empathy towards yourself for all you're moving through.

You may feel that you're not doing this perfectly,

And that's okay.

You may feel that you're struggling in a tricky time,

And that's okay.

It is normal and natural to struggle.

Life is a strange and mysterious place,

And it has its own mysterious timings.

Life deals us wild cards we couldn't have seen coming,

And sometimes we feel flummoxed to find a way through.

Some days it seems that life whispers sweetly to us,

Honey,

You're not the boss of me.

And despite our best efforts,

We're not.

We can take action,

Make wise choices,

Do our best,

And sometimes life still happens.

And yet sometimes life still happens in beautiful ways too.

As you sit here,

Try on the notion that there might just be kind forces at work here,

That it might just work out well,

That change might come of its own time,

That you don't have to exhaust yourself finding a way through,

That you can rest and things will unfold in whatever way they do.

Try on the notion that good might happen,

That there may be some kindness out there that's supporting you.

I don't know and I can't know if believing that changes the outcome,

But I do know that believing that life will change in kind ways makes for less suffering along the way.

It lets us drop our burden of worry.

It helps us find a little bit of peace and grace and ease in the day to day,

And something in that seems to change the outcome.

So as you sit here,

Let your worries drop and rest a while.

Rest into this moment with all your life is and all your life isn't right now.

Sit down and know that someday,

In some unforeseen way,

Change is going to come.

That this will shift.

Seek to make this day a good day.

Call in gratitude.

Seek sustenance in what you have around you.

Find something in this moment that lifts you up.

I know the road can be hard sometimes.

And yet today is the day that we have.

So stretch out,

Take a longer out breath,

And commit to doing something today that will enliven you,

That will inspire you.

A bath,

A walk around the block,

A cup of tea while you do absolutely nothing,

Petting the neighbor's dog,

Six minutes of yoga on your carpet,

Eating a strawberry.

Trust that it will get better.

Hang on to hope.

Trust that things do shift,

That change does come.

Seek delight along the way and trust in the unfolding in life.

Trust in your own ability to figure out a good way.

Drop into that.

Rest in that.

Open to hope.

Call in the forces of optimism,

Of bravery,

Of bright skies.

Trust that this time of rest will restore you.

That taking these micro moments of meditation in hard times is doing the work.

That bearing to be with it and trusting that the future will come good is a brave thing.

That dropping out of denial and cultivating optimism will serve you sweetly.

I'm going to read a poem by Rumi,

And I encourage you to just rest,

To listen,

To receive.

To let poetry and prose fill you up.

To drink deep of what good you can find today.

The poem goes like this.

I know the voice of depression still calls to you.

I know those habits that can ruin your life still send their invitations.

But you're with a friend now,

And you look so much stronger.

You can stay that way and even bloom.

Keep squeezing drops of the sun from your prayers and work and music,

And from your companion's beautiful laughter.

Keep squeezing drops of sun from the sacred hands and glance of your beloved and my dear.

From the most insignificant movements of your own holy body.

You're with a friend now.

And what actions of yours delight him,

What actions of yours bring freedom and love.

Now sweet one,

Be wise and cast all of your votes for dancing.

So as we finish our session,

Know you can rest for as long as you need.

Know that it's okay to pause amidst tricky times.

To give yourself what you need to care for yourself.

Sit down knowing that yes,

You may still have things to do,

But also that life unfolds in its own mysterious timings,

That things do come good in ways we couldn't possibly have figured out.

That by letting go,

Somehow strangely some goodness comes.

By holding it lightly,

It seems to resolve itself quicker.

Invite in hope and heart and goodness and grace.

Rest in those places for the rest of your day.

I thank you for being part of this community and joining us to be real,

To be here,

To be human in a good way together.

And I wish you so much wellness with whatever it is that you're moving through.

Reviews

This was so comforting, exactly what I needed this morning 💜💜💜

So soothing and so appropriate for these troubled times.

Uplifting but real. Like a late-night pep talk from a friend who gets what you’re going through. More talk than meditation, but full of practical hope. Eat a strawberry to connect with joy. Walk in the sun to remember light. Trust your ability to find a way through without exhausting yourself in the effort. Grace. Namaste. 🙏🏼☮️🌟💖

Very uplifting! Thank you so kindly, beautiful soul. 💫✨💫

Another wonderful meditation. I appreciate you and your work💛

So desperately needed to hear this! Much gratitude from the deepest parts of my soul! 🙏

🙏

I will likely come back to this to listen in snippets over and over. Very very challenging times that have been ongoing. Thank you for this offering.

Wonderful reminder of things I tend to lose sight of, presented in a gentle, calming way. 🕊🙏

I come back to your mediations daily, thank you for sharing your gift 💝

A lovely soothing meditation for times when you are overwhelmed and just need a reminder that things are going to be okay.

Thank you for the hope and encouragement! I love the poem by Rumi!

It was beautiful and touching! Thank you for providing hope and space to be.

Thank you, I really needed this, a lovely supportive meditation and an opportunity to put down the troubles that are weighing down my shoulders, even temporarily. A welcome reminder that the worry, worry, worry solves very little. I loved the wise words of Rumi too 🙏🏻❤️

Like spending time with a dear friend. Thank you for this truth and your kindness 🙏