A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaitanir Rajeem.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.
In the name of the one most compassionate,
Most merciful,
Most kind,
This is Mark Silver with Heart of Business.
Welcome to the Monday Remembrance.
This is a time for us to remember our hearts.
But it's not a time where we need to bypass all of the challenges.
One of the things that I notice in the practice of fasting for Ramadan,
And I'm,
We're in the just starting about the final ten days of the fast,
Is that there's a real crankiness that can come up.
I can feel really worn down,
Exhausted,
Emotionally as well as physically,
And fed up is a is a reaction that comes up.
And all of those feelings are really familiar to me from being in business.
And I'm guessing that you may have those similar feelings.
And when I'm able to really be with the the feeling of fed up,
The feeling of worn down,
I notice that I'm actually being opened up into a tenderness.
Rather than bracing myself and trying to just hunker down and endure it,
There's a way that I feel broke and open,
Tenderized,
Tenderness arising.
And so just don't expect you to connect with that immediately.
But just wondering that if you're having any kind of a similar experience in your business,
Or if you've had,
Or if it comes up again,
Just allowing yourself to notice any part of you that feels like it needs to hunker down,
It feels like it needs to just endure,
Needs to brace itself against,
Needs to push through,
Needs to drink the third cup of coffee.
And instead just letting go of enduring,
Letting go of bracing,
Without letting go of the emotions or the feelings or the reactions or the challenges.
Just taking your time,
Taking a moment and noticing.
Hmm.
And then just bringing your attention to your heart without trying to change or fix anything.
Just beginning to call the name of the Divine,
Beginning to call to the presence of the Divine,
To the oneness,
To the source of love through the open doorway of your heart.
And then noticing and listening,
Not trying to change anything,
Not trying to fix anything,
Just calling.
And then noticing and listening.
Hmm.
Hmm.
The challenge with our tenderness is that we can often feel that it's not strong enough to be in the world,
That it needs to be protected.
And yet the truth is,
Is that such a different form of strength and vitality and presence comes through the tenderness.
Just noticing any tenderness in your heart and in your being that might be living in the same space as the part of you that feels worn down,
It feels fed up,
It might feel cranky.
And just letting your head bow,
Letting your heart bow,
Letting yourself feel a sense of surrender,
A sense of healthy humility,
A humility that isn't collapsed,
A humility that allows in help,
That allows in the divine source,
A humility that allows you to be intimate with your own tenderness.
Allah.
What does it mean to embrace your own tenderness?
What if every time you were faced with exhaustion,
Sense of stuckness,
That you could turn toward your tenderness instead of trying to brace up and push through?
Letting your belly soften,
Letting your shoulders drop,
Letting your heart open,
Letting your eyes soften,
And just continuing to call the name of the Divine through the open doorway of your heart,
Calling to the source of the oneness,
The source of love.
Allah.
Staying inside,
Letting yourself let go even more,
Dropping even more deeply.
Noticing how tenderness feels in your heart,
In your being,
In your arms,
In your legs,
And in your jaw,
And in your face,
And in your throat.
Allah.
What's possible if your tenderness is accessible to you and all that comes through it?
What doors does it open inside yourself?
What abilities does it give you that are different than bracing or enduring or pushing?
Allah.
Allah.
Beautiful.
Allah.
Just continuing to call the name of the Divine through your heart and listening,
Seeing,
Sensing,
Feeling,
Perceiving,
Whatever comes in response,
And just resting in your tenderness.
Then just noticing any authentic gratitude,
Appreciation,
Or anything that you've experienced during this remembrance,
Letting yourself express that to the Divine.
And if you wish staying in remembrance as long as you like here,
And if this is your time to turn your attention back to the world,
Just taking a moment and a nice gentle breath,
Knowing the remembrance is available in every moment,
Taking a nice gentle breath,
And returning your attention to the world.
Amen.
Peace.
