Take a moment to just get super comfy right where you are.
You might close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Allow your body to arrive in this place.
Notice the surface beneath you,
Your chair,
Your feet resting on the floor,
And take a slow deep breath in through your nose and release it through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale slowly and exhale.
Let your body begin to soften.
Remember there is nothing you need to do in this moment.
Just breathe.
Today we will explore step six,
Which says we were entirely ready to have this power remove all these defects of character.
Step six encourages us to be open to change.
Step six invites us to become willing to look honestly at ourselves.
Even the parts we avoid,
Hide,
Or feel unsure about,
Those are the places where change begins.
But willingness,
That takes time.
And often it begins quietly,
With a tiny opening,
A moment when we become just willing enough to let something new grow.
So let's drop into stillness together by taking a few steady breaths.
We'll use the four,
Three,
Five count breath pattern.
So we'll inhale through the nose for four counts,
Hold for three counts,
And then exhale through your mouth for five counts.
So turn your attention to your breath and just allow yourself to be here now.
Now let's begin.
Inhale through your nose for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold for three,
Two,
One.
And exhale through your mouth for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Good.
And inhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold for three,
Two,
One.
And exhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two.
And one more time,
Inhale for four.
And exhale for five.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
And as you continue to focus on your breath,
I'd like to share a short story about sprout,
The seed.
You see,
Deep beneath the soil,
A small seed called sprout rested in the quiet earth.
Sprout had everything he needed to survive.
A strong shell,
A safe place in the soil,
Protection from the winds above.
But sprout carried a secret he dared not share with the living beings around him.
You see,
When sprout was first placed in the soil,
He didn't like where he landed.
So he nudged and rolled himself through the dirt,
Searching for a place where there might be more water.
But after moving,
A new fear took hold.
If I grow now,
Sprout worried,
I might pop up in the wrong place.
What if I'm pulled out like a weed or trampled by some wandering beast?
And so sprout stayed still.
For a very long time,
His shell felt like strength.
He held tightly to its form.
I must stay whole,
He thought.
If I crack,
My secret will be discovered.
I will be ruined.
But the seasons passed.
And as they did,
Something began to stir inside the little sprout.
A gentle pressure,
A quiet urging,
A steady whisper.
Sprout resisted.
Day after day,
That whisper returned.
His shell was becoming tight now,
Uncomfortable.
He was growing whether he liked it or not.
But growing meant change.
And change meant his shell would have to break.
What if I cannot survive outside,
He wondered.
For many days,
Sprout clung tightly to what he had always known.
But that quiet urging did not leave.
Now just beside sprout rested another seed,
Who had been planted earlier than he.
And that seed had already cracked open.
Tiny roots stretched into the soil.
And a green shoot was slowly climbing toward the surface.
The young plant watched sprout muttering to himself in the dirt.
And finally,
It spoke.
You know,
It said.
You can't stay that way forever.
I heard that seeds that never grow eventually dry up and return to soil.
But what if I can't survive out there,
Sprout whispered.
Now why would you think a thing like that?
You're a seed meant to grow.
And then anxiously,
Sprout admitted his secret.
I moved when I was planted,
The young plant laughed.
That's what you're worried about?
We all move a little,
It said.
But you,
You're running out of time.
You gotta sprout,
Sprout.
And in that moment,
Sprout realized that the shell that once protected him was now preventing him from becoming more.
Sprout paused,
But remained still.
He watched his neighbor stretch toward the surface.
And then for the first time,
He became willing.
Not certain,
Not particularly eager,
Still afraid,
But willing,
Just willing.
And in that small moment of openness,
A tiny crack appeared.
And from that crack,
A fragile green shoot began to grow.
And soon,
Sprout felt himself rising slowly through the soil,
Until one day,
His tiny green leaf broke through the earth,
And he felt the warmth of the sun.
His neighbor noticed immediately and called out happily,
You did it sprout,
You changed.
Now will you look at that sun?
Like sprout,
Many of us hold tightly to the shells that once protected us.
Fear,
Secrets,
Mistakes.
Unwilling to face what is,
We stay still.
Afraid that if we grow,
We'll be exposed.
But just like sprout,
Something inside us continues to urge us to grow.
Just grow.
But change rarely begins with certainty.
Change often begins the way it did for sprout,
With a single moment of willingness.
So I invite you to reflect on sprout's journey,
To reflect on your own journey.
And as we return to stillness and mindfulness anchored in our breath,
Allow whatever arises to rise.
And just notice.
You may move into the four,
Three,
Five count rhythm again,
Or just breathe naturally,
Deepening your breath with each inhale.
And as we breathe,
If it feels helpful,
You can repeat silently in your mind,
I am open to change.
Now I will say it softly three times,
And then we will sit together in the space that follows.
And remember,
If your mind wanders,
That is okay.
Just allow your thoughts to drift by like the clouds,
And return your focus to your breath.
Let's begin.
Inhale through your nose for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Hold for three,
Two,
And exhale for five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
Again.
Inhale for four,
Hold for three,
I am open to change.
I am open to change.
Let whatever rises,
Rise.
You don't have to know exactly how change will unfold.
Just be open.
Let's take a slow breath in.
Like sprout,
Sometimes all that is needed is a small willingness to grow.
I invite you to carry willingness with you into the rest of your day.
And trusting and knowing that you may always return to the stillness within because it is yours,
I invite you to notice the surface beneath you.
You may want to wiggle your fingers and toes.
Turn your head from side to side.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Carry with you the quiet courage to let your truth surface.
Thank you for joining me on this journey today.
It is always my honor and my privilege.
