Hello,
Dear friend.
Perhaps you're feeling lonely right now.
If not,
You have certainly felt lonely before.
Loneliness is a totally natural feeling.
It is a feeling we feel when we need to be connected to another person or perhaps to a pet.
Loneliness is a feeling that we feel when we need connection.
If you're feeling lonely right now,
Then for some reason maybe you can't get connection with another person or pet.
Perhaps you've been stuck inside.
Perhaps your friends are busy.
Perhaps one of your parents are working.
Perhaps both of your parents are working.
Whatever brings you here today,
Welcome and know that I am so glad that you are here and that I care about you and that I too have felt lonely before.
See if you can allow yourself to think back to a time that you felt lonely.
If you feel lonely right now,
See if you can allow yourself just to feel a little bit of that,
If not all of it,
And know that it's a totally natural feeling.
Even if I am in a room totally by myself,
Even if you are in a room totally by yourself,
We are always connected to others.
Here let's all take a deep breath together.
Even just breathing,
We are showing our connection with others.
Outside of a window,
There might be grass or trees that you may be able to see.
Those trees,
That grass,
All the plants on our earth breathe in carbon dioxide,
Which is part of the air that we share with them,
Part of the air that is all around us.
And we breathe in oxygen,
The same oxygen that dogs breathe in,
That our friends breathe in,
That our family breathes in.
This air is all around our earth and we share it with all of the living beings on this earth.
Perhaps you are in a room right now.
You could think about the other people who built this room,
Who painted the colors on the wall,
Who turned the trees into wood.
These people too are connected to you because you are sitting in this room that they created.
Perhaps you have had friends or family members in this same room with you before.
Those memories are also a part of you and you are connected to them.
And you share those memories with other people.
And because of that,
In that way,
You are connected to them.
And right now,
You are listening to me talk about this lonely feeling.
And other people too have listened to this.
And so you are connected with me and you are connected with them.
Sometimes thinking about all of these different ways that we are connected with others can help us feel a little bit less lonely.
And if not,
That's also okay because loneliness is a feeling and it is totally natural.
I invite you now to do a short practice with me.
Take one hand and put it over your heart.
And if you feel comfortable to do so and you are able to,
Allow your eyes to close.
And then in your own mind,
Repeat the following phrases.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be loved.
May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be loved.
And now,
Think about someone who you care about,
Who you love,
And picture them in your mind.
And say to them in your mind,
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be loved.
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be loved.
And dear friend,
Wherever you are,
However you're feeling,
May you be safe.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And may you be loved.
