Music Dear friends,
Welcome to this short meditation on daffodils.
But before we begin to imagine the outdoors,
We'd best come into the present moment,
Wherever we are.
So,
Let's close our eyes,
Feet on the floor to ground ourselves,
Dropping the shoulders to release any tension,
And just relax,
Simply relax.
Bringing ourselves to an awareness of this never to be repeated moment in time,
Which we call the Now.
So,
We take a few deep breaths,
And we allow ourselves to simply be.
As we breathe in,
We notice that we are breathing in.
And as we breathe out,
We pay attention to the fact that we are breathing out.
Let's allow ourselves one minute,
Sixty seconds of silence,
To begin our meditation.
Silence Silence Welcome back.
The weather here in Dublin is still a little chilly.
Chilly that is,
By our mild winter standards.
But the days are getting longer,
And yes,
The daffodils are out.
They're peeping up in my garden.
They are a dancing wave of yellow on the central motorway reservations.
Clumps of them are raised in what seems like a hymn of thanksgiving on traffic islands and roundabouts.
How can you look at the bright face of a daffodil and fail to be elated?
After the cold of winter,
These fateful responders are a reminder that all is beginning again.
Spring is here,
Or spring is near,
And we too can begin again.
How can we mention daffodils without quoting William Wordsworth,
Who just over 200 years ago was inspired to write these words,
This poem,
In praise of these sun-coloured dancers?
I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils.
Beside the lake,
Beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line along the margin of a bay.
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced,
But they outdid the sparkling waves in glee.
A poet could not but be gay in such a jocund company.
I gazed and gazed,
But little thought what wealth the show to me had brought.
For oft when on my couch I lie,
In vacant or impensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude.
And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils.
I wandered onwardward back in 1815.
I gave one more minute to ourselves.
I gazed and gazed,
But little thought what wealth the show to me had brought.
For oft when on my couch I lie,
In vacant or impensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye which is the bliss of solitude.
Welcome back again.
So thank goodness for daffodils,
And not forgetting snowdrops and crocuses.
Whenever you see these harbingers of spring,
May they bring happiness to your days.
May they provide happy memories for you,
Memories to recall in any passing,
Colder,
Darker times.
The happiness inspired by the sight of daffodils can even provide a life lesson for us all.
We can look upon our acts of kindness as so many daffodils too.
Beautiful to give,
Beautiful to receive,
Beautiful when experienced and beautiful to recall.
Inspired by that comparison we could resolve to make every day a daffodil day.
Why not?
Why not me?
Why not you?
And why not today?
Namaste.
Thank you.
