Breathing deeply,
Inheriting the wisdom of all who came before us,
And knowing that one day we will pass on the wisdom of our lives,
In that act of completing our lives.
The world can be dry and austere and overly serious by moments.
This meditation we're going to learn to take ourselves less seriously.
But first let's just settle in and enjoy this moment,
Giving yourself pause because the day doesn't have enough hours and we're taking time out of that rush and productivity,
Busyness and time management to be unmanaged,
Unfocused,
Undoing,
Just sitting and being and not.
Free from the tasks for a moment.
Moving inward,
Connecting with what is spiritual,
What is divine,
Whatever that means to you.
Standing seated,
Lying down,
Eyes opened or closed.
Find the posture that is most relaxing.
Let gravity do more of the work than your muscles,
Taking you in and down so that a part of you can float and become unanchored.
Survey your body head to toe.
What thoughts,
Feelings,
Sensations are occurring and existing within each part?
Where do you hold feelings?
Maybe a tight gut,
Tense shoulders,
Scrunched face.
Good or bad things,
Just curious,
Maybe even a little funny.
Oh man,
My back is tight from all this stress I'm under.
Be amused at yourself.
You have permission to laugh at yourself.
Existing is a very strange condition.
An experience of laughter and tears on and on throughout our lives.
Deeply in,
Slowly out.
Using your breath as a cue to slow your whole experience down.
As if you could put your day in slow motion.
That would be a good trick.
Say something kind and kindly to yourself.
I love you.
You are good.
You have enough.
You're always trying to be better.
Or something simpler like,
You make a great cup of coffee.
You have a good running stride.
Your hair looks good today.
Say whatever you need to say to cheer yourself up and give yourself a boost.
We'll take some time to acknowledge the absurdity of all of it today.
It is fearful to be mortal,
But it is also very strange.
Lucky and fragile and immense.
We are so small.
As you breathe,
Can you smile or even laugh at yourself?
All of your limits and mistakes.
There will be time for them all.
And there will come a time when they will be forgotten.
What would it mean to be just a little more playful today?
3% more playful today.
Mischievous.
What would that take?
Would it be a risk?
To make a joke?
To smile or dance freely?
Can you put yourself up for that?
As you breathe,
As you settle,
Just imagine your life a little bit lighter.
A little bit more carefree.
More attuned to the essentially silly and funny experience of being.
None of it matters and it all matters so much.
At this very moment,
You are aging.
You want to hold on to every moment and savor it.
It is all so precious.
Can you love the people and things in your life a little more dearly?
Can you appreciate and be attuned to the world around you a little more closely?
Not to pressure yourself,
Just to wonder.
What would that be like?
Breathing in deeply and out slowly with great love and joy.
Filling yourself up with adventure and brightness and your own sunshine.
Risking to laugh.
Settling into that possibility.
Odd,
Playful,
And weird.
Wouldn't that be freeing?
Going slowly.
Lightly and joyfully.
Almost weightless.
Amid the absurd complexity and fragility of the day.
Perhaps sometimes our greatest contribution to the success of the world is just a smile.
May it be so.
Blessings.
