Today I took my time to greet the day, I lounged in bed, caught up with a dear friend, meditated late, took a long shower, and not once felt an ounce of guilt. I can't remember how many times I've been able to do that without feeling some sort of doom or panic that I "should be" doing or accomplishing something else. As I finished making my breakfast I stared out the window and was mesmerized by the heavy falling snow, my window filled with the powdery fluffy soft tufts, dancing and falling towards the earth with the weightlessness and certainty of breath. For a moment I caught myself wishing that there was a more beautiful backdrop to capture the moment, like a snowy forest or mountain range, and then I realized that it wouldn't make the snow more beautiful. What captured me was how the snow felt and looked as it gently flowed towards the ground, how it danced on the ebb and flow of the air. And so as I look towards my day and the time that lies ahead in these uncertain times, I am reminded of gratitude. To take pause and notice the goodness that falls even against a backdrop I would prefer were different, perhaps softer or more free. To remind myself to weave gratitude into my day like my breath.
May I inhale the good, the not so good, all of life, and exhale gratitude, breath by breath, day by day.
May you inhale the good, the not so good, all of life, and exhale gratitude, breath by breath, day by day.