Have you ever set out to brighten someone else's day,
And you ended up being the one who walked away glowing?
This morning I passed an older man on my walk.
I noticed him approaching slowly,
Maybe a little bit of effort,
And I had this moment of quiet intention.
I thought,
I'll take out my earbuds,
I'll say good morning,
Tell him how great his bushy beard looks,
And maybe give him a smile to carry.
But as we neared each other,
He beat me to it,
And with the warmest,
Most cheerful voice that did not match his appearance,
He looked up and said,
Good morning young man,
And it caught me completely off guard.
I couldn't help but grin,
And that grin stayed with me for at least another mile.
What I thought was going to be a moment of me giving something away,
Ended up being a moment of unexpected receiving.
So today,
I'm grateful for that old man,
And I want to use this meditation to sit with that,
That joy of surprise,
Of connection,
Of allowing the day to meet us with something better than we expected.
So just go ahead and settle in now,
However you're sitting or lying down,
It's fine.
Let your eyes gently close if you feel comfortable,
Or you can soften your gaze,
And take a slow,
Easy breath in,
And an even slower breath out.
Let's do that again,
Inhale,
And exhale,
And just letting our body soften.
You can notice where you might be carrying some tension,
Maybe your shoulders,
Or jaw,
Maybe your hands,
Or your belly,
And as you breathe,
With every exhale,
Just see if you can let any of those places loosen,
Even just a little bit.
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
And now I'd invite you to take a moment to remember a time when someone surprised you with kindness,
And it might have been big or small,
It could be as simple as someone holding the door for you when you were in a rush,
Or a text out of the blue just to say that someone was thinking of you.
Whatever that memory is,
Just let it sit here with you for a few breaths.
Those little exchanges,
They might not seem like much at the time,
But they ripple,
Sometimes they stay with us for hours,
Or even days.
Now see if you can think back to a time when you offered a gesture of kindness.
Maybe you just smiled at someone who looked like they were having a rough day,
Or maybe you complimented a stranger,
Or sent a thoughtful message.
Remember how that felt in your body,
Not just what you did,
But the intention behind it.
So often we move through our days with our heads down,
Or our minds elsewhere.
But when we look up,
When we stay open,
We make space for these moments.
We can't predict how they'll unfold.
Sometimes we give,
Sometimes we receive.
And sometimes,
Like with that old man,
The giving and the receiving,
They happen all at once.
Let's come back to the breath now.
Nice and gentle.
Inhale.
Exhale.
And as you breathe,
Just imagine a feeling of warmth and connection spreading through your chest.
Notice how it feels to carry a lightness,
The kind that comes not from things going perfectly,
But from a simple shared moment of humanity.
And hey,
Maybe if it feels good,
Try softening your face into a gentle smile.
It doesn't have to be forced,
Just enough to remind yourself of that feeling.
This moment,
It's enough.
This breath is enough.
And hey,
Who knows,
As you go through your day,
Maybe the next stranger that you pass will be the one to lift your day.
Or maybe you'll be the one to lift theirs.
Either way,
There's something beautiful in staying open to the exchange.
As someone once said,
Life is full of surprises,
But the biggest ones come from the people we pass by every day.
So,
As you move through your own day,
Just try leaving a little room for the unexpected.
For a glance,
For a word,
For a moment that might shift everything.
You never know where a smile might take you.
Maybe even for another mile.
May you be happy,
May you be healthy,
And may you be at peace.
Thank you so much for joining me.
