The following exercise,
By Lou L'Aspergado,
Is designed to contact and clarify our values,
Which are the qualities we most want to embody and enact in our lives.
We'll do this by bringing to mind a memory that captures some of life's sweetness for you.
Find a relatively comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down if preferred,
Where you can be undisturbed for the next 6 to 8 minutes.
Softly closing your eyes and settling into whatever is supporting you physically right now,
I invite you to begin scanning your life for any moments or events in the past that were particularly enjoyable,
Enriching,
Or meaningful to you.
This could be as recent as earlier today,
Or as distant as many years ago.
It could be a small occurrence or short-lived experience,
Or something more significant or longer-lasting.
Any memory that evokes a sense of vitality,
Where you feel alive and engaged in the experience.
Any memory that captures some of life's precious sweetness for you.
Although life serves up much that is sour and distasteful,
And it's quite possible that such memories will also arise in this meditation,
Our aim here is to tap into life's richness for the next few moments.
So if a primarily unpleasant memory surfaces,
Non-judgmentally notice that this has occurred,
And gently continue sifting through memories until you find one that is especially sweet.
Once you've locked in on a memory,
I'd like to invite you to step inside that memory,
Imagining that you are there again.
What can you see?
What can you hear?
What are you touching?
Are there any tastes or smells to notice?
Who are you with,
If anyone?
What are you feeling?
And see if you can make room for any feelings showing up now as you contact this past experience.
You may notice a mix of emotions or bodily sensations,
Including some unpleasant ones,
Which is perfectly natural,
As fulfilling moments often involve a breadth of emotions.
And the absence of such experiences can also bring up uncomfortable feelings,
Which may point us to just how important such moments are to us in our lives.
Now I'd like you to tune in to what you are doing in this memory.
In other words,
What part are you playing?
How are you contributing or participating in the experience itself?
Note that how you are participating may or may not be observable by others,
Though there are still qualities that you are embodying and enacting in this event.
What are those qualities?
What are you bringing to your experience that is helping to make it meaningful or fulfilling for you?
Extracting these qualities from this memory,
In what areas or domains of your life today would you want to apply them?
How might doing so bring more vitality or fulfillment?
And could you choose to do so on purpose?
As this exercise comes to a close,
Just allow your experience to sink in for a moment,
Savoring the sweetness as a felt sense in your body,
Perhaps even in your heart space,
And then slowly opening your eyes and reorienting to your surroundings.
