Compassion.
Setting this time aside for me,
Preparing myself to absorb the insights of today.
These insights that may just influence me upon my way as we start the day.
Let's go to the wisdom of the waves for our daily dose of gentle inspiration.
Everyone has periods of feeling disconnected.
It's part of why we are here.
We disconnect so we can reconnect.
This is the reality of life and so it is.
Everyone needs to give and receive compassion.
It's what deepens our connection to our souls.
As our ancestors evolved over millions of years in small groups,
Continually needing to communicate in hundreds of ways each day,
Our faces show a numerous range of expressions such as showing fear to send signals of alarm,
Interest to draw others towards an opportunity or fondness and kindness to increase closeness and the sense of us.
We have an amazing capacity to understand states of mind in others,
Even from the most subtle and fleeting facial expressions.
But nowadays it seems that we're lost,
Caught up in a busy world of doing,
Striving,
Wanting to be there instead of here now.
This amazing capacity we have to tune into other people's energy and to respond as we choose tends to get swallowed up.
We don't usually look very much at the faces around us and if we do look it's briefly and without really seeing.
We miss out on opportunities for meaningful connection and we learn too late about potential problems including misunderstandings,
Niggles that are carried on and more.
More generally we lose out on the chance to experience the common humanity,
This common thread of what we share.
What is this common thread?
That life provides us with triumphs but it also provides us with disappointments.
Living a human life is not without problems but we are conditioned that it should be.
The facts are here.
Life is about problems and this is not to be morbid.
There's a beauty within this because as Helen Keller stated,
Life is full of suffering and it's also full of the overcoming of it.
This is about the recognition of the suffering and the capacity we have to gently show up for ourselves and others that may be experiencing this.
In acknowledging this and responding in a way that simply holds the space for that person then this is where the magic is.
When we are not attuned to the energy of others we can't give them this important experience of feeling recognized,
Seen,
Understood and in the broadest sense becoming more familiar with the faces of others across the world is an important step towards bringing humanity closer together.
Compassion can be boiled down to six words.
Acknowledge their pain,
Respond with kindness and kindness can be in thoughts,
Words or deeds.
Acknowledge their pain,
Respond with kindness.
Forgiveness requires us to give ourselves moments of meaningful connection.
In order to do this we need to practice acceptance of our inner world when we get hooked by the difficult thoughts and feelings so as to allow them the space to come and go in their own time.
Then in this space of acceptance,
Of inner awareness,
We can bring kindness to those moments of meaningful connection.
We can find that meaningful connection,
Kindness,
Acceptance,
Forgiveness and compassion can all intertwine.
And this is something to be grateful for.
I am grateful for this special moment that I have carved out for myself.
I choose to be open and receptive to a face that comes my way.
This could include somebody that I don't even know.
I will let them come into focus as a unique individual with specific qualities.
Tiredness,
Good humor,
Residues of stress,
Kindness,
How they hold their energy in general.
I choose to notice the way the mind makes judgments and evaluations and keeps me in autopilot.
But in the very moment of me noticing this is the space where compassionate energy arises from within me.
I am so much more than the automatic thoughts that pass through my head.
I am not my thoughts unless I choose them.
I have the capacity to gently notice and realign with compassion.
For myself,
For having experienced such a thought and for other people living this human life that is difficult.
I choose to allow the common humanity this recognition that we all struggle from time to time.
As we start the day I choose to open to any positive experiences such as connection,
Kindness,
Acceptance,
Forgiveness and compassion.
This is an act of love for myself and the world.
