Welcome to the Center the Absurd Meditation podcast,
Where we engage deeply and mindfully with the silliest and most absurd spaces within ourselves in order to find levity and relief from the pains and stresses of our human existence.
Today's meditation practice focuses on tapping into our connection with others,
Loved ones,
Community and the larger world.
Start by finding a comfortable space where you can settle in.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Lie down or slow your pace if you're walking or moving.
Draw your attention to your breath moving in and out of your body.
There's no need to change your breathing,
Just notice and follow it as it enters your nose,
Is carried through your body and is exhaled.
Take a breath in,
Hold it and then let it go.
In and out.
Now begin to see yourself from the outside.
It is a perfect day.
You are here fully and are solid in yourself.
Here you are in all your glory.
You look incredible.
You are walking at a relaxed pace down a shaded street.
You are surrounded by flowering trees and green grassy lawns.
As you walk,
You are content and at ease.
You are whistling a jaunty tune.
All is well.
It's a beautiful day,
A voice says.
You look to your right and perched on your shoulder is a small winged creature like a cross between a fairy and a flying squirrel.
While surprised,
You feel safe and comfortable with this squirrel fairy.
It is wearing very small pants and a vest and has a bow and a quiver of blunt tipped arrows strapped across its back.
It's seriously adorable.
Do you like taffy?
It asks you.
Well,
Sure,
I like taffy,
You reply.
It hands you a small wrapped taffy and you unwrap it and pop it into your mouth.
It tastes delicious and is maybe the best taffy you have ever had.
You chew it and chew it and it becomes stickier and stickier.
It tastes so sweet.
The squirrel fairy says to you,
Imagine all of the love you will ever give in this lifetime.
Imagine all of the love you will ever receive in this lifetime.
It's a lot,
Isn't it?
Now imagine chewing that love into that piece of taffy.
While strange,
You close your eyes and imagine as much love as you can.
Your brain can't even find the edges of it.
You chew and chew and chew.
You chew all the love you can muster into that piece of candy.
The squirrel fairy says to you,
Its little paw,
Hand extended.
Now give me the taffy back.
The taffy is now soft and sticky.
You pull it from your mouth and hand it to the squirrel fairy.
You can still taste the sweetness on your tongue.
The squirrel fairy reaches and pulls the bow from its back.
It sticks the gob of taffy to the end of one of its arrows,
Loads it into the bow and pulls it tautly.
You continue walking.
You smile to yourself thinking about how much your best friend is going to love this story.
As you call your friend to mind,
The squirrel fairy releases the arrow into the sky.
It flies on and on until it is out of sight.
Suddenly you feel a deep pull on your heart and are filled with love as if your best friend is standing beside you.
You look at the squirrel fairy and see the arrow has somehow returned to the bow.
Only now there is a sticky strand of stretched taffy coming down from somewhere above and wrapping around the bow.
Keep going,
The squirrel fairy tells you.
You keep walking.
You notice another person,
A stranger walking toward you,
Moving down the opposite side of the street.
The stranger tips their hat.
Good day,
They say as they approach.
Good day to you,
You reply.
At that moment,
An arrow shoots toward the stranger.
It passes through their hat seemingly unnoticed and continues on,
Circling back to the squirrel fairy who reloads it into its bow.
There is now a tangle of sticky taffy stretching between you and the stranger as they pass and continue down the road.
Keep going,
The squirrel fairy tells you.
Who else?
As you walk,
You begin to think of all of the people in your life.
Family members,
Friends,
Neighbors,
Mentors,
People you've never met but who have inspired you.
The clerk who sold you your new windshield wipers last week.
Your grade school teacher who taught you how to hold a pencil correctly.
The child who rode their bike past your house this morning.
The bus driver who gave you directions to the coffee shop.
Each time a person enters your mind,
You hear the flick and swoosh of the arrow and feel the sticky strands of taffy stretching and tangling out and all around you.
The taffy strands do not impede your emotion.
In fact,
Somehow you are moving with greater ease,
Lighter.
You feel free.
You are very aware of all of the connections,
All of the moments that tie you together with every other human you encounter.
You feel held and safe.
The air smells sweet.
Rest in this place of connection,
Of ease,
Of safety for a moment.
Feel all of the love around you.
You close your eyes and find you are back in the room in which you started.
The squirrel fairy is gone,
Though somehow you can still feel its presence on your shoulder.
You take a deep breath in.
You remember all of the people in your life who you have loved.
The people who have loved you.
The people with whom you have shared experiences.
The people who have impacted you.
The people who you have affected.
You feel a pull on your heart,
Like a million strands of taffy connecting you all.
You are tangled in a web of love and kindness.
It's always been that way,
But now you can feel it around you.
You know it in a real,
Felt way.
You know that you will always be able to remember it,
Even in moments you might forget,
Moments you feel alone,
Moments you are missing someone,
Longing for connection,
Moments you might feel small or afraid.
You are tangled in so much love and connection,
Every moment of every day,
Every moment your path crosses with someone else's.
Every time you greet someone,
Every time you offer someone a kind smile,
You are sending out strands of connection that are being returned to you.
You are wrapped in love.
The air surrounding you smells sweet.
Be well.
