Welcome.
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk a little bit about enjoying each day.
And this meditation is based on a live session I did recently.
If you're in my group,
You know that I have one of my quotable sayings where I say,
Every day is a good day if you're there to appreciate it.
And you might wonder how I came up with that.
When I was 30,
I had my most devastating stroke.
My left side was nearly completely paralyzed.
I had no gag reflex in my throat,
My left leg dragged,
And my entire left side was very,
Very weak.
And I was hospitalized again at that time.
And I asked to see a psychiatrist because I was very depressed.
And when the psychiatrist came to see me,
I talked about how I was so upset because I couldn't play guitar like I once had.
I couldn't walk like I once had.
I was in the hospital all the time.
And that's when he said the words to me that I have never forgotten.
He said.
I think you're spending too much time thinking about the things you've lost and not spending near enough time thinking about all the things you still have.
And his words just hit me.
They pulled me up and made me see how wrong my thinking was.
Because I did have so much to be thankful for.
I still had my mind.
I still had my daughters and my friends and so much more.
So it was during this time I did a lot of thinking and I started realizing that if you're only happy on days when the sun shines,
You're gonna have a lot of sad days.
So I changed my attitude because I know that thoughts and words have power.
And the things we think and the things we say have the ability to change our reality.
So each day I looked for all the positive things that were all around me.
And not just big things.
But Lily thinks too.
Noticing the sunshine,
Or the clouds,
Or the birds outside my window,
Or the squirrels in the trees,
Or the laughter of my children.
And the smell of my coffee.
The feel of the water in the shower,
Or the scent of my aftershave,
And so many other things.
And at the time,
This was in 1980.
I call these things moments.
And without realizing it at the time,
I stumbled upon the concept of glimmers in my life almost 40 years before glimmers became a thing in 2018.
You know,
It's living in the present moment.
Learning to go with the flow.
It's the difference between treating life like a checklist and treating it like an experience.
So instead of waiting for the weekend or a vacation or a major milestone to feel happy,
You start noticing.
Maybe the perfect temperature of your morning coffee,
Or the way the light hits in your room.
Or maybe a funny interaction with a stranger.
And when you stop trying to micromanage outcomes,
You stop fighting reality.
And it's not about being passive or lazy.
It's about being deeply present.
You are choosing to put your energy into.
Into things as they happen.
Rather than worrying about them.
Ciao.
A simple practice.
Is one small thing.
Every day,
Pick just one ordinary moment to pause and fully appreciate it for 10 seconds.
It could be almost anything,
The feeling of the hot water in your shower,
The sound of rain on your roof,
Or just a really deep,
Comfortable breath.
Being in the present moment is the absolute engine behind it all.
Close your eyes now and let's get in touch with our breath.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Lying down,
Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.
The only thing that truly matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
So as we start to settle in,
Let's focus on our breath.
We're just breathing in and breathing out,
One breath at a time.
And then the next.
And then the next.
That is the present moment.
One breath,
One inhale,
One exhale,
And only thinking about one breath at a time.
You start to settle in,
Let's scan our body.
Your face is way too tense.
Unfurrow your brow and unclench your jaw.
And then relax your neck.
I roll mine around.
You can do whatever makes you happy.
Relax your shoulders.
These are places of tension in today's world because we're hunched over phones and laptops and tablets.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Look for any tension in your chest or your belly.
Relax your legs and your feet.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor and it's there for us in all moments.
When you're happy,
When you're sad,
When you're upbeat,
When you're depressed.
Just breathing in and breathing out one breath at a time.
Our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
And if you have thoughts.
.
.
That's okay.
Just let them come and let them go.
They're like waves on a lake or leaves going downstream on a river.
The same goes for sounds.
If you hear them in the room,
Just let them go.
Just take this moment to settle.
Just let your breath arrive just as it is.
There's nothing to fix,
Nothing to improve.
Just a gentle returning.
And as you breathe,
Notice the simple feeling of air entering and leaving your body.
This quiet rhythm has been with you since the beginning.
And it asks for nothing.
No performance,
No achievement,
Just presence.
Let your breath deepen slightly,
Like a soft tide rolling in.
And with each exhale,
Allow your shoulders to loosen,
Your jaw to soften,
Your belly to relax.
Just take a slow breath in and a slow breath out.
Today we're exploring the simple things,
Those small,
Often overlooked moments that quietly sustain us.
The warmth of sunlight on your arm,
The sound of leaves moving in the wind,
The way your dog looks at you.
First sip of coffee,
The softness of your favorite shirt.
The way someone says your name.
These moments are not loud.
They don't demand attention.
But they are the threads that stitch a day together.
Let your breath be one of those simple things.
The small kindness you offer yourself.
Now imagine yourself standing beside a river.
Your river.
The one I've spoken of before.
The river that represents the flow of your life.
Your days.
Your experiences.
This river isn't rushing.
It isn't dramatic.
It moves with a steady,
Trustworthy rhythm.
A rhythm that says,
You don't have to force anything.
Life is already moving.
Notice the surface of the water.
How it reflects the light.
How it carries small leaves and twigs and flower petals,
Simple things that drift along without any effort.
Each one is a moment.
A breath.
A kindness.
A small joy.
And the river receives them all.
Let yourself breathe with that same ease,
In and out.
Like water moving around a bend.
As you watch the river,
Bring to mind one simple thing from your day.
Something small.
Something quiet.
Something easy to overlook.
Maybe it was the way the morning light came through your window.
Maybe it was the sound of your puppy's paws on the floor.
Maybe it was the feeling of cool air when you stepped outside.
Maybe it was a moment of stillness before your day began.
Whatever it is,
Hold that simple thing gently.
Let it float on the surface of your river.
And notice how it feels in your body.
Does it soften you?
Warm you?
Ground you?
Let your breath deepen as you stay with it.
The river doesn't cling to anything.
It doesn't rush past anything.
It simply receives what arrives and carries it forward.
So let this be your practice today,
Receiving the simple things.
Letting them arrive.
Letting them matter.
Letting them move through you without needing to hold on tightly.
You don't have to chase joy.
You don't have to manufacture gratitude.
You don't have to force presence.
Only have to notice,
Just like the river notices each leaf that touches its surface.
Take a slow breath in and feel the coolness,
The clarity,
The freshness.
And let a slow breath out,
Feel the warmth,
The release,
The settling.
Let your breath be the river.
Let your body be the riverbank.
Steady,
Supportive,
And patient.
With each inhale,
Imagine the river flowing towards you.
And with each exhale,
Imagine it flowing away,
Carrying any tension or heaviness with it.
In and out.
A simple rhythm,
A simple kindness.
Now imagine the river gathering more small moments from your day,
A smile from someone you love,
The texture of your favorite blanket,
The sound of your own footsteps,
The way your breath felt when you first woke up,
The quiet between tasks,
The softness of evening light.
And let each moment drift onto the water.
Let them float.
Let them belong.
You don't have to choose which ones that matter.
They all do.
The river hauls them for you.
As you breathe,
Notice how your body feels right now.
Not the big things,
Just the simple ones.
The weight of your hands,
The temperature of the air,
The rise and fall of your chest.
The feeling of being supported by whatever you're sitting or laying on.
These are small things,
But they are real.
And they are enough.
Let yourself be simple too.
Let yourself be a being who breathes,
Who feels,
Who notices.
You don't have to be profound.
You don't have to be productive.
You don't have to be impressive.
You only have to be here.
Take a few breaths in silence now.
Let the river flow.
Let simple things gather.
And let your body rest.
As this meditation comes to a close,
Imagine the river widening slightly.
Opening into a gentle,
Spacious place.
A place where you can return anytime.
You need to remember what's simple,
What's real,
What's already here.
The river is always moving,
Always receiving,
Always carrying,
Just like your life.
And the simple things,
Those small,
Quiet moments,
Are always arriving.
You only have to notice them.
Now take one last slow breath in.
And one slow breath out.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes or stay in the softness a little longer.
May your day be filled with simple things.
May your river carry them gently.
And may you feel the ease of being carried too.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session for each and every one of you.
Till next time.
