Start by finding a place where you can be a part of the world.
Where you can completely relax.
Where you can let go of everything around you.
Any tightness that's crept in.
Emotions vying for your attention.
Just let it go.
Give your arms and legs a little shake.
A little motion.
Shake out the tension that lives in your body.
And gently let your eyes drift closed.
This is your time now.
Just for you.
Be aware of your jaw and your lips.
If they're tight or twisted,
Let them relax.
Loosen the tightness around your eyes and forehead.
Drop your shoulders and let them release.
Take a deep breath in.
And let it go.
Take another deep breath as deeply as you can into your belly.
Hold.
And let it go.
You're here because your cup has gone dry.
The cup you pour from for everyone and everything.
The cup which floods assurance over the confused and unsure.
And spills worry onto those who are wandering in places they shouldn't.
It drips a steady flow of kindness,
Nourishment,
Acceptance,
And patience.
Your cup sustains,
Revives,
Soothes,
And protects.
But when your cup is dry,
You and those in your universe suffer its emptiness.
It is bone dry,
Yet you struggle to give more.
Bribing droplets from the sides and rim.
It's a strange thing that we must fill our own cups.
That no one comes to say,
Here,
I have a pitcher with plenty.
Take some of mine.
Yet the filling of us is a job for the vessel itself.
It feels indulgent,
Like there is no time for the sustenance.
This giving back to the giver.
Yet you must.
And you are.
In this moment,
This space and gift of presence begins to refill the storehouse.
This realization that you are a finite vessel from which oceans of care,
Protection,
And nourishment can flow.
Only if cared for,
Nourished,
And protected yourself.
This moment of gratitude for hands that hold the treasures of family and friends.
For eyes that see good when others find ugliness.
For a heart that beats strong and steady when all around it seems to swirl and sway.
You fill your cup with time spent against nothing.
Moments not counted or needing to be productive.
You fill your cup by thinking its source for its infinite supply.
By noticing the freedom in drifting clouds.
By smelling cement after rain.
And closing your eyes to hear birds intent in sing-song conversation.
This renewing pause is a gift to yourself and to those lucky to receive your bounty.
As you take a deep,
Nourishing breath,
You notice a swelling in the belly of the reservoir of you.
It fills while your stillness allows it to come easily,
Fully,
Abundantly.
Stay in this stillness as long as you need to allow yourself to recharge,
Reset,
And refill.
When you find yourself replenished,
Cup full,
Heart open and ready to pour again,
You take a final sip of breath and return to your world knowing you can come back here as often as you need.
