The Insecurity Of Everything

Here’s nothing I want more, really, than for things to be secure and predictable and easy, for me and for everyone. But that’s the funny thing about being human. Nothing is secure, not even our lives. Almost nothing is predictable, not in any durable sense. And ease comes and goes.

On another, more foundational level, though, ease is always available. When things don’t go our way, when things slip through our fingers, when we tap into the fundamental insecurity of being human, we have two choices: push back or relax. I’m not saying we have two easy choices, but for me, the second choice leads to ease. The first only leads to suffering.
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For the CNN moderators. May they hold their ground.
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With love from Judi

Transcript

Finding a posture that for you right now today is supportive of your practice and just sensing into the body,

This amazing body that each of us has,

Noticing how it's breathing all by itself,

Coming to the maybe the wonder of this present moment.

I don't know if Zoom is picking it up,

But there's a lot of birds in the background here.

Maybe you're hearing that or you're hearing sound in your own environment.

Just attending to the breath or the sound and just letting the the mind and the body drop in right here,

Right now,

Into the present moment and noticing what's here and seeing if it's possible to notice what's here.

Maybe that's ease and joy and maybe that's stress or concern or maybe there's a painful knee or back or maybe there's an illness or maybe there's fear,

Anticipation.

It could be anything at all.

And it's also going to change as you pay attention and seeing if you can just devote your attention,

Devote your attention to whatever experience is happening right now.

Noticing whatever is happening right now in your field of awareness and also noticing if there is commentary.

Why is this happening?

I wish I wasn't feeling X or Y.

What's happening is just what's happening and then the invitation is to let go of the commentary.

If there's distress,

Ease,

Any lack of easefulness with whatever is happening in the field,

In your experience,

Seeing if you can just let that go and be devoted to whatever is happening in the present moment.

Even if there's an impulse to turn away or run away,

Relaxing the body,

Relaxing the mind,

Just letting go into the right here,

Right now.

A couple of things before I close.

One is next Thursday is the 4th of July,

So Happy Independence Day or Happy Interdependence Day as sometimes people say in the mindfulness community.

But have a nice holiday.

There won't be a wake-up call.

I'll send out a note to remind everyone.

And the other thing is tonight's debate.

I was talking to a cousin actually who was telling me about something difficult that she and her daughter were watching on television,

Political.

And she was saying,

We were screaming at the TV.

We were so upset.

And I was just thinking about that and the debate.

And I was just thinking,

Yeah,

If possible,

To be with whatever is happening and just take care of yourself as you're watching,

If you're watching.

If you're watching,

Take good care of yourself.

Be kind to yourself.

Because,

Yeah,

It could be a difficult evening.