Welcome.
Take a moment to arrive,
And not just physically,
But emotionally,
Mentally,
Spiritually.
Find a comfortable seat or lie down if you prefer.
Let your shoulders soften.
Unclench your jaw.
Let the breath start to slow down naturally.
And if it feels comfortable,
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose,
And a long breath out through the mouth.
Again,
Inhale gently,
And exhale fully.
For the next few minutes,
There's nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing you need to do,
No performance,
No weight you need to carry.
It's just this moment,
Just this breath.
Now I want to begin with a story.
The other night,
I was putting my boys to bed.
We had already read four books,
Four stories,
Four moments of closeness,
Of laughter,
Of imagination.
And just as I was ready to end the night,
Ready to say,
That's it,
We're done,
They asked for one more.
The title of the book,
Grumpy Monkey.
And I'll be honest,
I was tired.
I was exhausted.
And like many of us,
I had a long day.
I was ready to put them down to bed.
I was ready to be done.
My body wanted rest.
My brain,
It wanted quiet.
And the answer that came out of my mouth was the reasonable one.
We're only reading four books tonight,
Boys.
It's time for bed.
But then something happened.
Something shifted.
I paused.
And in that pause,
I imagined myself 20 years from now,
In my 50s,
Older,
Looking back,
Remembering these exact nights,
These tiny hands,
These laughs,
These bedtime snuggles.
I imagined that future version of me whispering back to this moment saying,
Please read the book.
Don't rush this.
You're going to want this moment back.
And so I changed my mind.
I accepted that I was tired.
And I read the book anyway,
Enthusiastically,
Fully present,
Giving them all the energy I had.
And not only were the boys filled with joy,
I was too.
That extra moment,
It wasn't exhausting.
It was nourishing.
It filled me with oxytocin,
That love chemical.
And it reminded me,
Sometimes what doesn't feel convenient is exactly what makes life meaningful.
It's exactly what needs to happen in the moment.
Sometimes the things we're tempted to rush past are exactly the moments that matter most.
Let's explore.
Now take a slow breath in.
Take a longer breath out.
And let that story settle into your heart.
Might gently bring your attention to your body.
Maybe you notice your shoulders.
Let them drop a little more.
Maybe you notice a little bit of tightness in your neck.
Let it soften.
Notice your face.
Relax the muscles around the eyes.
Unclench the jaw.
Notice your chest.
Feel breath moving through it,
Flowing through it.
And silently say to yourself,
I'm allowed to pause.
I'm allowed to be here now.
It's okay to be tired.
My friends,
Life is full of moments like that bedtime story.
Moments where we are pulled between convenience and moments and meaning.
Between efficiency and connection.
Between our tired self and our deeper,
Wiser self.
Moments where presence asks something of us.
Not perfection.
Not endless energy.
Just heart.
Just attention.
Just showing up when we're tempted to check out.
Because one day,
We're going to look back.
And when we look back,
We don't remember the perfectly managed schedule.
We don't remember the rush.
We don't remember the efficiency.
The promotion.
The bonus.
We remember the love.
We remember the laughter.
We remember that extra book.
Grumpy Monkey.
Now bring your awareness back to your breath.
Feel the inhale.
Feel the exhale.
Let the mind slow down just enough that you can feel yourself arriving in your own life.
Right here.
Right now.
This moment.
It's not ordinary.
It's alive.
It's precious.
It will never exist again.
That moment with my boys reading that book will never exist again.
And we get to choose whether we rush past it or live inside it.
Now if it feels right,
Place a hand over your heart.
Feel your heartbeat.
Feel the life pulsating inside of you.
The electricity.
And repeat silently,
May I trust the pause as much as the push.
May I remember that presence is love.
May I cherish what is here while it's here.
Let those words land.
Your future self,
The wiser,
Older,
Steadier you,
Already knows what really matters.
They are cheering for you to notice these small things.
To look into your child's eyes or to look into your beloved's eyes.
To feel the warmth of their hug.
To savor laughter.
To choose connection over convenience at every possible point.
To remember that the most meaningful parts of life rarely arrive wrapped in efficiency.
They arrive wrapped in presence.
Your presence is the ultimate present.
Take another slow breath in.
And a long exhale out.
Let your nervous system soften.
Let your heart relax into enoughness.
And know you are not meant to outrun life.
You are meant to feel it.
To live it.
To love inside of it.
To pause.
And to be here.
Now as we begin to return,
Feel your body again.
Wiggle your fingers.
Wiggle your toes.
Roll your shoulders gently.
Maybe offer yourself a soft smile.
And carry this with you.
You never know what moments you will wish someday to return to.
So cherish this one.
Trust the pause as much as the push.
And when life offers you one more book,
One more hug,
One more stay a little longer invitation,
May you meet it with presence and with love.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for your heart.
Thank you for your presence.
Namaste.
