Hi,
This is Pod McGordon and I have been spending a lot of time reflecting about permission,
Permission to be ourselves,
Permission for others to be themselves,
And what it takes to give ourselves and others that permission.
One of the things that I've come up with is patience,
And another is courage,
Because it's really courageous to step outside of the box and to give ourselves permission to color outside the lines and really step into the unknown,
The willingness to step into the unknown,
Which also is the courage to step into the unknown.
And this piece around patience is very alive for me,
Being patient with myself,
Being patient with my preteen daughter,
And just having patience for those moments when things get ramped up and there's a lot of feelings swirling around.
What does it take to be really patient,
Patient with ourselves and patient with another so that there's room for one's feelings?
Patience,
Patience with ourselves and patience with others,
Permission,
Permission to have our feelings,
Which then helps us to give others permission to have their feelings,
Which takes some patience,
Patience to just wait it out,
Wait out a moment of storminess,
A moment where someone's triggered or upset or just having feelings.
And for me,
This feels like tremendously important for having healthy relationships.
So I want to offer you a meditation,
A guided meditation into this notion of giving ourselves permission and in turn others permission to be themselves,
Which requires patience and practice,
Patience and practice.
So I invite you to just find a comfortable place to be,
To rest your body,
To set everything that you're doing aside for just a short period of time.
And maybe this is the first time that you are taking a pause,
Taking a break from all the doing and hustle bustle of your life,
Of the world,
Just noticing how perhaps things are moving quickly in your life,
Spinning faster and faster in the world.
And right now,
What if you take a nice deep breath,
Letting go,
Letting go and softening,
And feeling how you're supported and taking this time to be patient with yourself,
Giving yourself permission to go within.
Giving yourself permission to breathe fully and deeply.
Just recognizing that pausing and going inside is an investment in your life,
An investment in your happiness and fulfillment.
It's so important to slow down,
Giving yourself permission to pause.
And just for a moment,
Thinking of a scenario in your life where you might want to give yourself a little bit more permission.
What might that be?
Perhaps it's permission to slow down,
Or maybe it's permission to ask for help,
Or maybe it's permission to do something special for yourself.
Or maybe it's permission to stay in bed while it's raining and read a book or watch an old movie.
Maybe it's permission to try out a new style,
To wear something outlandish,
Something completely out of character for you,
To try new things.
So just pausing to see where it is that perhaps is calling for more permission.
Permission to love and be loved.
Permission to sing even if you can't carry a tune.
To dance even if you don't have a lot of rhythm.
Just sensing in yourself what it feels like to open to the possibility of giving yourself permission.
What happens in the body?
Recognizing the sensations.
Just taking your time.
Recognizing how giving ourselves permission takes courage.
Permission to have feelings.
Permission to move through the world even if we're having a so-called bad hair day.
Permission.
Because the more we give ourselves permission to be,
To have needs and desires,
Permission to be interdependent,
The more we can give others permission to be as they are,
Which then requires patience.
The patience to breathe and make space for someone to have feelings.
Those all feelings will pass.
They come and go.
So just sensing into once again a place in your life,
Something inside of you that's calling for permission.
What is it?
Read it.
Sense it.
Let it get bigger.
Let it take up space.
Respond to it.
Respond to yourself with love,
With kindness.
Giving yourself permission to take a risk,
To be human.
So just knowing that by listening to this practice,
To this guided meditation,
You're opening the doorways.
New pathways are being created,
Giving ourselves permission to be big,
To be bold,
To be afraid,
To be as we are,
Being patient with ourselves and patient with others.
Permission to be as we are,
One and all.
So taking your time and gently coming back,
Gently,
Gently maybe wiggling the fingers and toes and feeling relaxed,
Refreshed,
Revitalized,
And ready to step into your life in a whole new way.
Giving yourself permission and being patient,
Loving yourself moment to moment to moment.
And so it is.
And so it is.
And so it is.
Thank you for your attention.
Thank you.
