Seize The Days

“If only it were evening!” we say in the morning. “If only it were morning!” we say at night. Deuteronomy describes a heart so burdened by dread that it longs to escape the present, always wishing to be somewhere else, somewhen else.
We do the same with the weather. We wish away the rain, curse the heat, shiver against the cold, resent the wind. We long for sunshine, a gentle breeze, a more comfortable season.
This meditation invites us to notice the day we actually have. Feel the warmth or chill on your skin. Listen to the rain, watch the clouds, feel the wind, notice the light. Take in the date, the season, the particular character of this moment.
We need not pretend every day is pleasant. But rather than wishing our lives away, we can practice inhabiting them. This day, this weather, this season of our lives will never come again. What might we discover if we stopped waiting for better conditions and began embracing the ones we have?

Transcript

Let's begin. Just jumping in to a good moment. Or a lousy moment, Maybe you're having a lousy moment and you just need to sit with it for a moment before you can let it pass. Acknowledge good feelings and bad. That you're starting in a place of Joy or sadness or ambivalence, Those are all valid. And it matters. You don't have to stay there, You could. Or you can use meditation as a time to think about your thoughts. And maybe you want to change your thoughts. It is possible. Thoughts are really just electrical impulses. They don't really mean much. They aren't truth. Where they aren't in varying truth. Taking some deep breaths just to enjoy. Enjoy breathing. Enjoy sitting or lying down or closing your eyes or leaving them open, Whatever you. . . Are here for. To embrace it. And be embraced by it. Embraced by this special moment and then the next special moment and holding on. There are only so many moments in a life. And each can be precious. And that's what this meditation is about. Enjoying the moment as it lasts. Just feeling your seats, Feeling your body, Enjoying your body. Check in with your body, Give it a scan. Where do you notice tension? Where do you notice eagerness? Where do you notice softness? Where do you notice strength? Is your skin dry or supple? Is your breathing ragged or open? It's not a quiz. There's no right answer. It's just a. . . Observation. Once you get out of school, There aren't grades for things, And that's good and bad. This is an ungraded assignment right now. Just enjoy it. Enjoy your own company. Just the deep breath. Easy time for yourself. It's good. You can stretch and fidget if that helps you to get slower. And more quiet. Maybe something pops in a pleasant way. You are good. Striving to be your best self. And sometimes backsliding. That's groovy. No one and nothing has ever been perfect, Not even God. What else are you feeling? What else do you hear? Or smell. Use your senses, And they'll help bring you into quiet and stillness in this moment, And then this moment. In this moment. Noticing. What's around you, What's in you. Deepen your breath. Use it to slow you down. Use it to relax. Use your breath to guide oxygen to stiff places. Like your own gift to yourself. We're going to play with this season and this time, This time of day even. Because it's so easy to wish for something else. It's so easy to wish for cold when it's hot. It's so easy to wish for spring when it's autumn. Or for summer when it's too windy, Too breezy. Or for rain when it's dry. It's so easy to want what isn't. Life is short. We should embrace what is. Just in the environment. You don't have to go too much. Deeper than that. So we're going to pay attention to the weather and the season and the climate right now. At this very moment of your meditating. You may be outside, You may be inside as you are meditating, But. . . You know what it's like out there. You've checked the weather or been out to walk the dog. Get the paper. Is it raining or dry? What time of day? You might enjoy a specific season or a specific hour of day more. But what's this one like, And what could you love about it? This very moment, This very day, This date? In the cycle of the year. Is it cold? Warm, Maybe even uncomfortably hot, Humid, Rainy. Snow? What's going on? Is the earth hard and frozen or packed? Or soft with dew. What's it all about? Can you be in it? Without wishing for the next season or the next week. A part of this time. Just breathe into that. Deep breaths. Exploring the sensations of this season. Cold with dry skin. Humid with a sweaty brow, Whatever it might be. The brightness of a spring day, The darkness of an autumn night, Wherever. Wherever the leaves are, Where you are. Rainy season, Dry season. Hot season, Cold season. It can all be fun. Even the cycle of the moon. Full moon, New moon, Waxing, Waning, Those can all be beautiful. One part of Earth is not more beautiful than another, Just different. Special in each in its own way, Its own season. Heaven could be any place, Why not here? Heaven could be any place, Why not here? Why not here? Just smile at that. That you're in the right place. That wherever you are, God drew a circle on the map. And you just need to bloom where you're planted. And it is the right season. Right time. Breathing deeply into all of that. Breathing deeply. Deep in, Slow out. Breathing for the light, Breathing for the dark, Breathing for the cool or the heat. The breeze or the stillness, The rain or the dry. Deep breaths in, Slow breaths out. Sitting in it. Enjoy. Blessings.