Today on Widening Circles,
Filling your own cup.
Now we live in a time of great uncertainty,
Where our world seems to be fraying beneath our feet.
What happens in times of systematic cracking is that we tend to constrict,
Which feels protective,
But in actuality,
It's freezing the fluid creative spirit that is so necessary for wise pivoting.
I've noticed that whenever I face unexpected chasms,
I tend to put my art supplies away and tighten the straps around my days,
Focusing solely on band-aids and balance sheets.
I stop feeding myself with what I love because it feels like an impractical,
Indulgent luxury.
But what I have observed and experienced is that in challenging times,
The things we put away are the very sustenance we need to keep moving forward with grace and buoyancy.
Creativity,
Joy,
Delight,
Beauty,
Play—these make the warm lifeblood of good problem-solving and adaptation.
They keep us from collapsing into the downward spiral of scarcity,
Which just brings in more scarcity.
When I say inviting beauty and delight,
It's more about noticing and imbibing the goodness laid out on life's open palm.
In other words,
It's about practicing gratitude.
And when you do,
It's like cracking open the sweet shell of life with the back of a spoon and digging into its sweet,
Rich center.
So this journey will bring you into the life-giving waters of gratitude.
If you're feeling a little resistance at the idea,
Know that is normal and welcome.
Together,
We will unwrap the hidden gifts within and around us and allow these meetings to melt any bottlenecks of fear inside.
Enjoy.
For this journey,
You'll want to find yourself comfortably seated or lying down.
Make sure you are warm enough.
Just close your eyes and allow yourself to be carried by my voice,
As if you are floating lazily down a warm sunlit river.
Take a deep breath,
The deepest breath you have taken in your day.
Now take a few more,
Allowing all your stress to swirl out on the exhale.
Feel your mind settling back into your body and notice the stillness arising at the borders.
Any bracing held in your body,
Allow it to release.
Soften your body as if you were made of a warm lump of clay.
So first,
I'd like you to bring your loving attention to your heart.
Notice its gentle reassuring pats inside your chest,
Saying,
I'm here,
I'm here.
Your heart has been here rooting for you,
Loyally thumping your life into existence ever since you were in the womb,
Working non-stop,
Beating 100,
000 times a day,
Even while holding all the hurt that has visited you throughout the years.
Take a moment and place your hands over your heart,
Warming it with gratitude.
Now,
I'd like you to bring to mind someone you love.
Hang some of your special memories together on the mantle of your mind.
Allow the love you feel to begin slowly burbling out,
Permeating your entire body.
Take a moment and feel the gratitude that life has brought you this person,
That in this tiny flicker of existence,
Your life was able to brush and mingle with theirs in this fleeting dance of life.
Let's now extend our gratitude so that it goes beyond ourselves.
Take a deep breath.
Half of the oxygen you just imbibed was knit by plankton from dark,
Salty depths somewhere,
So that you may live and carry out your highest expression.
Take a moment and drink in that knowing.
They are not the only ones working tirelessly to sustain your life.
The honeybee,
The worms,
The fungi,
Countless creatures are working in synchrony on your behalf,
So that you may eat and taste delights of every shape and color.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The truth is,
We're constantly being showered with gifts.
Let us not forget how the day opens,
With gentle golden rays and the sweet chorus of birdsong,
With soft warm beds and cleansing water that flows from the tap,
With working stovetops,
With the miraculous smell of coffee,
And another chance for you to become who you want to be.
Take a moment and feel the simple blessings that grace your day.
Let us not forget the moments of synchronicity that life has brought us,
Those chance encounters where we met someone at the right time or heard of a new opportunity that enriched our life.
Take a moment and feel the gratitude for these moments blossom in your heart.
Let us not forget the infinite library that awaits us,
Which we can tap into with our phone,
This miraculous portal that emperors of history would conquer lands to have,
This bridge to someone you love across distances,
A recorder of moments that you'll revisit when you're old,
A treasury of answers to all your questions at any moment.
Take a moment to feel the gift of all the possibilities that the internet and your phone opens up to you.
Let us not be blind to the way our day ends with rose-gilded skies.
Let us notice the warm suppers cooked by loving hands,
The dancing shadows across the wall,
The perfume of flowers drifting at dusk,
The stars in the sky reminding us that even in the dark there are points of light.
For even during challenging times,
Life is constantly showering you with gifts.
All life is rooting for you.
You can always warm your hands on the hearth of life.
It just takes a conscious choice to notice and fill your own cup with the bounty that's always there.
In a few moments,
You can open your eyes and carry on the rest of your day,
Wishing you beautiful moments ahead.
Until next time.
