What If Peace Is Contagious?

Hey there.

Welcome to this moment.

Welcome to your breath.

Pay attention to its quality,

Its depth as you breathe deeply in and exhale.

Pull your breath into your body and let it go.

Welcome to a hit of hope.

The world hurts right now.

There is sickness and war,

Hunger and rage.

We might wonder what in the world can we do.

We can breathe.

Inhale.

Exhale.

That might seem naive.

Breathing isn't going to stop the fighting,

Right?

Breathing isn't going to stop the pain,

The suffering.

Inhale.

Exhale.

When my kids were young,

I took them in for a checkup.

Their pediatrician was a young man who had a kind and quirky energy radiating from him.

As soon as he came into the room,

My rambunctious kids settled down.

He checked their eyes,

Ears,

Nose and throat.

He checked their reflexes.

And as he examined them,

He mused,

Do you know how things like the flu can spread from person to person?

I nodded.

He asked,

What if emotions are catching?

What if rage is contagious?

What if happiness and joy are contagious?

Inhale.

Exhale.

It's easy to imagine rage being contagious.

We've all probably seen how that can happen.

People's brains turn off and all kinds of damage is done.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Why is it so hard then to believe that happiness and joy and peace can also be contagious?

In fact,

Haven't we seen that too?

Laughter is infectious.

There are times when someone else starts laughing and we do too,

And we can't stop.

Why then is it so hard to imagine that a sense of peace could also radiate out into the world,

Spreading like fire?

Inhale.

Exhale.

The world hurts right now.

What in the world can we do?

Breathe.

Center.

Go into our wisest,

Most radiant selves.

We all hold the light within.

We all hold the light within.

Let's make our light,

Our peace,

Infectious.

Let's spread our light here,

There,

And everywhere.

Let's do the very things that are within our power.

Let's breathe.

Let's center.

Let's get ready to bring our light to everyone we meet.

Here,

We might imagine.

Take this.

Take this light of mine and let it remind you of your own light.

Let your own light shine and then give it freely to everyone you meet.

May we spread light.

May we spread hope.

May we spread peace in this world.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Live light.