The Parade Of Life

These days it’s easy to get hung up on whatever life circumstance happens to be in front of us and even toil over it after it is no longer part of our present moment. This thoughtful and relaxing meditation suggests thinking of life events as part of a parade that is continually in motion.

Happy or sad, life experiences are here for a certain amount of time and then move on. This can help us attain more presence, more acceptance and a greater sense of overall peace.

Transcript

My name is Greg McBride and I'm honored that you've joined me here.

One of the things that many of us who have a meditation practice,

Whether for a long time or a short time,

Have heard is that when we're meditating,

When thoughts pop up,

Which they often do,

We should think of those thoughts as clouds passing by.

In other words,

We shouldn't judge them as good or bad or really anything at all.

And at the same time,

We shouldn't feel compelled to do something about the thoughts.

In other words,

We don't want them to entice us into some deep thought while we're trying to be mindful of our present situation.

And we can take this same kind of philosophy and apply it to life even when we are not meditating.

One of the things I like to think about is parades.

And I'm not necessarily somebody that loves parades.

You know,

They're fine,

But they are a good analogy for how to deal with everything that life presents.

And let's face it,

Right now life is presenting us with lots of different things,

Many of them challenging.

On some days,

It seems like it's just endless as one more thing seems to top another in terms of stress or angst.

So if we apply this parade philosophy,

It can help a little bit.

And by that,

I mean,

Let's all think too when you're a little kid and maybe one of your first parades,

If you have a memory of something like that.

For me,

It would be going to Disneyland and sitting on Main Street after going on rides all morning and sitting down to watch the afternoon parade,

Probably on the curb if I got a good seat,

Maybe on a bench or maybe standing.

And I remember being excited about the parade,

Even though I probably wanted to go on more rides.

But,

You know,

We were taking a break.

And as the parade went by,

There were different floats and different events within the parade that I found more enthralling than others.

For example,

If a Snow White float went by,

That wasn't really my favorite movie.

I don't even remember seeing it as a kid.

So I wouldn't have had much interest in that.

But if a Pinocchio or Peter Pan themed float went by,

That would be something that would be very exciting for me.

Similarly,

If something went by that maybe brought me a memory of something scary in a Disney movie,

Like,

You know,

Bambi or something sad,

I might want that to go by quickly.

But I wouldn't stand up and ask for the parade to end.

I wouldn't stand up and ask to speak to the manager of Disneyland.

In other words,

If a float was going by that I wasn't really interested in,

Or maybe was causing me a little bit of angst,

I knew that it was going to pass.

It was going to go by and be replaced by something else.

Maybe something good,

Like Peter Pan flying around in Never Never Land.

Or maybe something kind of boring,

Like Cinderella trying on her glass slipper.

And P.

S.

No judgment.

What excites us,

Excites us.

But the fact is,

Parades are a really good thing to think about as we deal with everything that life is presenting us these days.

And really it can apply as much to good things as it can to challenging things.

In other words,

When I saw that Peter Pan themed float,

And was very enthralled by it,

Very excited by it,

I needed to be present to just really enjoy it.

Because it wasn't going to be in front of me forever.

It was going to move on down Main Street and eventually disappear.

So instead of thinking about,

Oh my gosh,

It's going to be too short,

Or oh I wish that this would stop.

It was just about connecting in and seeing Captain Hook,

And maybe the crocodile,

And maybe seeing Tinkerbell.

Whatever the float had to offer.

And just being very,

Very present.

At the same time,

When a float goes by in a parade that isn't exciting,

We know that that is going to pass.

But we don't feel compelled to stop the parade.

And this is true for other events too,

Like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

I can think of lots of people that don't enjoy the Broadway numbers,

But maybe love the classic balloons.

Well,

They don't call the TV station.

They don't call Macy's on Herald Square.

They don't try and stop those performances from happening.

Sure,

They may not pay very much attention to them,

Or even leave the room,

Or you know,

Check a football score.

But they know that the balloons are coming,

And that that will provide entertainment.

In other words,

They know that what they don't like will pass,

And that something is coming that they do like.

And again,

We can apply the same philosophy to our life.

Life is a parade,

And all sorts of things are coming and going on a constant basis.

Some good,

Some wonderful,

Some plain,

Some that,

You know,

Don't get any emotion out of us.

Others that are traumatizing.

But it passes.

The parade passes by.

And the floats keep coming.

There's more floats coming.

Some we can't even imagine.

And that's really good to think about now.

You know,

We can't necessarily know what's coming in life's parade.

And right about now,

We all hope that it's going to be some wonderful things,

No matter what we might be wishing for in life,

Or what we're hoping to see taken care of,

So we can move on in life.

Again,

Though,

This parade mentality is one that can really help us.

Because sometimes when we see something we don't like,

Or experience something we don't like,

We feel the need to react.

Kind of a knee-jerk reaction.

Instead of just being present,

Just being in the moment.

Knowing that this will pass.

And sure,

Sometimes a reaction is necessary.

Sometimes there needs to be action.

But other times there just needs to be acceptance.

And usually that acceptance needs to happen even before we can take action that would really benefit the situation.

If our reactions are a kind of knee-jerk,

Or happen without too much thought,

We can add more trauma to the situation than if we just take a beat,

Take some breaths,

And remember that this is a parade.

It will pass.

We will move on.

More proof of this is you can think back to when you might have had a crush on somebody when you were younger.

I know I had my fair share of crushes,

And when they didn't work out,

Which was always the case,

I was just heartbroken and was sure that there was nobody else that was going to come along that would take the place of the crush that somehow didn't see things the way I did.

But sure enough,

The parade moved on,

And the rest is history.

So let's think about that as we sit today.

Let's remind ourselves that life is a parade.

And of course the real key is to be able to think of that when we're not meditating.

When we're mindful,

When we're quiet,

When we're at peace,

When we're sitting together,

Even virtually,

It's easy to remember not to overreact.

It's easy to accept things.

It's easy to know that life and the parade will move on.

But when we're in the heat of things,

It sometimes isn't difficult.

So that's why we sit.

We sit so that we can be mindful and so that the mindfulness happens more naturally,

Even when we're not taking time for meditation or taking time to be quiet or taking time to turn inward.

By doing that now,

We're training ourselves for when we're not.

I ask you to take a comfortable seat if you're not in one already.

Maybe you're sitting on a chair.

If so,

Sit upright.

Try and make your spine straight.

Maybe have both feet on the floor.

Or if you're on the floor,

Maybe you're sitting in a cross leg position.

Again,

I want you to be comfortable,

But think in terms of your spine being straight.

And if for you that means laying down right now,

That's good too.

But when our spine is straight,

We can breathe a little easier.

And it's all about the breath.

It's all about coming back to the breath,

Being present,

And enjoying life's parade for all it's worth.

So to begin,

Let's take three breaths.

And when we're breathing in,

Let's think in.

And when we're breathing out,

Let's think out.

This is going to help our bodies and our minds and our breath get in sync,

Which can take us to a calmer place.

So all together now,

Let's breathe in.

And just hold it at the top.

And breathe out.

And again,

Just a little hold,

A little space,

A little reminder of that place that is all yours.

No one can take that from you.

Now again,

For a second time,

Let's breathe in,

Thinking in.

A nice deep breath that can be in through your nose.

Maybe you're breathing out through your mouth.

Whatever feels natural to you.

Breathe out.

Think out.

And then for a third time,

Let's breathe in.

Thinking in.

Hold it at the top,

That cherished,

Precious place that's all yours.

And then breathe out,

Thinking out.

Let all the air go.

Hold it.

And then just allow your breathing to return to normal.

Maybe your eyes are closed.

Or maybe you just have a soft gaze off to the distance.

But just be here right now.

And realize that what you have in this moment is so strong because it's you getting in touch with your core.

Your self.

Your heart space.

And this is what we're going to rely on as life's parade passes us by.

We're going to remember that life is a parade.

And so everything moving past us is moving.

So maybe think of a very happy memory.

And maybe it's something that happened today.

Maybe it's something that happened several years ago.

Just something that gets your heart excited.

Just think about it.

If it helps you to picture it,

Do that in your mind right now.

Just feel that emotion.

And isn't it wonderful that we can pull these emotions up?

Even about something that is in the past?

Again,

Whether it happened earlier today,

Last week,

Last month,

Maybe 10 years ago.

Just feel the joy.

But also recognize that the moment passed.

So there's going to be more joy in your future.

Even if right now you don't believe me,

I promise you there will be.

It's coming.

And so we're going to be present for that joy.

So just hold on to that feeling in your heart right now.

For some of us,

We can almost feel a glow.

If your eyes are closed,

Maybe you want to visualize that glow.

Just in your heart space right now.

And you can greet the world with this glow.

Even life's parade passing you by.

Can you remember as a kid if you watched a parade and maybe somebody on a float or in a marching band looked at you and maybe smiled or waved?

They were connecting with you.

They felt that heart glow from you.

Even if at the time you couldn't necessarily define it as a heart glow.

They felt it and they connected.

You were interacting with life.

You were present.

You were part of the parade,

The actual parade.

And of course there's a million times that this happens in the virtual parade of life as well.

So just feel that.

And now,

If you can,

If you want to,

Think of something think of something sad in your life.

I know sometimes it's scary to bring it up.

We think we don't want to.

We don't want to reconnect.

And if you choose not to,

Just hold on to that happy memory.

But if you choose to,

Think of something that happened that maybe was sad or challenging.

Maybe it was traumatizing.

And that's a different feeling in our heart.

Kind of stormy for me.

Definitely not glowy light.

But you know what?

We survived that moment.

Whatever it was for you that you're thinking about right now,

If you're choosing to do so,

You survived.

You moved on.

Maybe you carry a scar or two,

Virtual or literal.

But you're here now.

And you're meditating.

You have made a commitment to yourself,

To love yourself and to be present and be mindful.

So whatever unhappy or challenging memory you may have chosen to think about right now,

It's in the past.

That part of the parade moved on.

Even if at the time you thought there was no way you could go on in life after experiencing what you experienced.

And we all have moments like this.

Some of us have many moments like that.

And as we get more mindful,

We realize that going through some of that stuff makes us who we are today.

And we're all amazing.

I can guarantee that everyone listening to my voice right now is amazing.

I have a meter and I can tell.

So just so you know,

You're amazing.

And I'm part of the parade that you experienced in your life that may have been horrific,

Has moved by.

And even you have moved on.

Even if there are some residual effects,

You are here now.

You are safe.

You are taking time for yourself.

Reaffirming your commitment to peace and ease of mind.

So let's breathe in and just let whatever memory that maybe is a little darker than others,

Let that go.

Again,

If you chose to do it.

Bring yourself back to the present moment.

Where are your hands right now?

Are they resting on your thighs?

Are you holding them?

Are they just at your side?

Maybe wiggle your fingers a little bit.

Just to bring your hands back to the present moment.

And what about your feet?

Where are they?

Can you wiggle your toes?

Just feel your toes.

Maybe they're in shoes.

Maybe they're in socks.

Maybe not.

Just wiggle your toes for a minute.

Be present.

And again,

Remind yourself that life is a parade.

There's going to be all sorts of situations,

People,

Places,

Things that present themselves.

Whether in person or on the phone or in a zoom call.

Life is coming at us.

Life is passing us by.

But when we think of it like a parade,

We know that nothing is permanent.

And that can be as valuable to remember for the wonderful occasions,

The wonderful parts of life's parade as it can be for some of the more challenging ones.

And we don't have to react to those challenging ones.

We can just be present.

We can take it in.

And just because we don't react doesn't mean we don't have strength.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is just stay present.

Stay inward.

Do not let yourself be manipulated by what is happening.

Sometimes we have to react,

Even in the moment.

Or maybe we'll take some time and our reaction will come later.

That's okay too.

The trick is to stay mindful and remember that what is here in this moment is going to be gone in the next.

And that's true for everything.

Children grow up.

Even our pets get a little bit older.

Things change.

The parade passes by.

But there's a real gift in remembering this.

A real freedom.

A real peace.

Because guess what?

There's more parade coming.

It's not going to stop.

Even if right now it feels like the parade is over,

Maybe you're at a very tough place in your life,

Maybe you're at a crossroads,

Not sure what to do,

There's more parade coming.

And that's where kind of picturing that life is a parade can really really help us.

It's just a little reminder.

Just like thinking of those thoughts as clouds.

Not good.

Not bad.

Just there.

Passing by.

We acknowledge them and let them move on and come back to mindfulness.

And we can do that anytime,

Even when not meditating,

By breathing.

One of my favorites is just to breathe in and out three times.

Thinking in,

Thinking out like we did a little earlier.

Just brings your body and mind in sync.

It's a wonderful way to kind of just gain a little presence.

Or you can just wiggle your fingers,

Wiggle your toes.

You can be in a meeting and nobody has to know that you're wiggling your toes becoming present.

But just sit with this concept for a minute more.

Life is a parade.

And it's all for you.

This is a parade that is just for you.

You are the center of your universe.

You are audience member,

Number one.

You are the center of your universe.

You are number one for this parade.

And that's a beautiful thing.

And you deserve for your parade to be full of happiness.

So remember that if a float comes by that isn't exciting or that is challenging or boring,

Whatever it might be,

It's going to keep moving by.

It's not going to be there forever.

And soon you're going to be presented with a life circumstance that is just for you.

It's not going to be there forever.

It's going to be there forever.

And we want to be just as present for that as well.

Let's close our practice by doing three more breaths.

Again,

Thinking in as we breathe in.

Thinking out as we breathe out.

Let's begin.

Breathing in.

Holding it at the top just for a second.

Breathing out.

Let's do that a second time.

Breathing in.

Thinking in.

Hold it at the top.

And then breathing out.

Thinking out.

And you can hold it at the bottom as well.

And now we're going to do it a third time.

Breathing in.

Thinking in.

Little hold.

Breathing out.

Thinking out.

Another little hold.

And now maybe flutter your eyes open if they've been closed.

Maybe wiggle your fingers or toes again.

You can roll your shoulders a little bit if you want.

Sit upright if you were laying down.

Because the parade's coming.

Life's parade is in action right now.

We don't know what the next moment is going to bring us.

The parade loves to surprise us.

But we're going to be present for it.

We're going to be present for all of it.

And we're going to remember that it moves on.

The parade passes by.

So we're going to enjoy it as best we can when it's in front of us.

We're going to let go what doesn't serve us as it moves on.

And we're going to remember that we are the center.

You are the center.

You matter.

And once again I am so grateful that you joined me in this practice.

Thank you so much.

Namaste.

Reviews

Great analogy, Gregg. Appreciate your guidance too 🙏🏼

What a lovely reminder of the balance of good and not so good in life, to help us keep moving forward. Thank you.