Hello beautiful,
I'm so happy you're here with me right now.
Gently close your eyes and feel the comfort of the chair or bed you're in.
Let the arms of the chair or the covers of the bed hug and caress you.
Now turn your attention to your breath and follow its rhythm,
In and out,
In and out.
As you do,
Visualize your heart gently beating,
Gently drumming in a soothing cadence.
Breathe and allow yourself to relax,
Deeply relax,
And just be in this moment knowing you're safe and protected.
Now imagine that you're standing on the side of a river.
As you stand there,
You feel the crispness in the air.
The first hint of autumn is just beginning.
It feels wonderful on your face,
The coolness of the air mixed with the gentle warmth of the sun.
After a few moments,
You notice a little girl and her mother on the other side of the river.
The little girl's golden curls tumble over her shoulders and shimmer in the sunlight.
And her white dress ruffles in a breeze and then falls back into place beneath her green sweater.
You notice the child is holding a yellow buttercup delicately in her hands.
She touches each silky petal,
Smiling as she becomes familiar with it.
She traces her hands around the shape of the flower,
And then she just gazes at it,
Taking in each petal's beauty and the beauty of the whole buttercup.
It's time to go now,
Says the girl's mother.
We have to get changed for tonight.
The little girl nods and then gently places the tiny buttercup in the river.
She waves and whispers goodbye.
You take a breath of the cool air and watch as the little yellow flower flows in the water.
At times it bobs and weaves.
At times it looks like it will submerge.
And yet it keeps flowing.
It keeps flowing down the river.
You begin walking along the riverbank,
Following the flower,
Feeling a sense of connection.
Something inside of you wants to know what will happen.
You want to know if the flower will be alright with all the changes it's going through in the water.
As you walk along the bank,
You notice some sharp grey rocks in the path of the flower.
You wonder how the buttercup will survive the rocks.
Will they end the flower's journey?
Will they trap it?
Will they tear the tiny yellow flower apart?
As the flower hits the rocks,
The white water shred a petal.
But a moment later,
A gust of autumn wind lifts the flower over the rocks and it continues downstream.
The buttercup presses on,
Even with its damaged petal,
Until something moves it next to the bank.
It looks like it's resting until an old woman's hand scoops it up.
Your eyes meet the woman,
And you notice the lines of love and life etched on her face and hands.
Her hair is white and tussled in the braids,
And she wears a button-down cape over some baggy clothes.
You smile at her,
And she returns the gesture with a red lipstick smile and a wave,
Inviting you to the other side.
You nod,
And then realize that the only way to the other side is to cross the river.
You study the water,
The rocks,
And the path to the other side,
Wondering if you can make it.
You dip your foot in the water,
And then quickly pull it back.
But as you do,
You hear the old woman's voice whispering courage.
So you try again,
Dipping your toe in,
And then your whole foot,
And then the other,
Feeling the sandy earth beneath you.
The water rises to below your knees,
And yet you feel solid and secure.
You take a step in the cold water,
And then another,
And then begin walking confidently across the river.
But as you come to the center,
A gust of wind shifts you,
Leaving you feeling unbalanced for just a minute.
The side of your foot catches a rock,
But it's okay.
You find the strength to steady yourself.
You hear the old woman's voice again.
Let go of your fear.
You're going to make it.
You listen with your heart,
And you take a moment to breathe and check in with yourself.
Then you find your balance,
And even though it's tough,
You cross the river to the other side.
The same hand that scooped up the flower reaches for you.
You step out of the water and stand next to the woman.
She places the buttercup in your hand,
And then closes her hands over yours.
What did you learn?
She asks.
You pause for a moment and then look back over the river,
Over the path you just trekked to get to the other side.
I let go of fear,
You say.
I let go of pain,
And I believed that I would make it.
The old woman's face beamed.
You are not the same woman from the other side of the river.
You have gone through changes with grace and determination.
Even when it hurt,
You listened to yourself,
Cared for yourself as needed.
And now you are a wise woman.
You thank the old woman and take a deep breath that begins to bring your awareness back to the here and now.
And as you come back right here,
Think of the buttercup,
The tiny flower that the old woman gave you.
And anytime you feel like you can't get through the changes within you,
Remember that buttercup,
Your buttercup,
And let go of your fear.
Because you will get through it all with beauty and grace.
Namaste.
Beautiful.
