Dear friends,
My house in Dublin is about 9km from Dublin airport as the crow flies.
If you happen to be awake at around 6.
30am,
You'll hear the distant rumbling as planes begin to take off.
Just like clockwork,
The airport is alive again.
Outside the window,
You will hear birds singing,
Greeting the new day.
Very different,
But equally magical sounds,
Reminding us that we are wonderfully here,
And a new day lies ahead with all its possibilities.
Take a deep breath in,
Hold for a second or two,
Then release and relax.
Let's repeat this exercise to help bring us into the present moment.
Take a deep breath in,
Hold for a second or two,
Then release and relax.
Welcome again to the magic of morning.
We'll pause for one minute now to give thanks for our existence in this world of wonder.
The new day is something that we can very often take for granted.
This is a pity,
But we needn't feel guilty because of this.
We are only human,
And this taking for granted arises because of the sheer reliability of so many things in our lives.
And this consistency is something for which we can,
And we should,
Be thankful.
We all know the happiness associated with the feeling of gratitude,
And we can experience even more of this happiness if we can become more gratefully aware of the gift of each new day.
Instead of just moving routinely through the world,
Living out our lives on autopilot,
We can do something more.
We can open our eyes to the magic of the world,
And become more aware of the wonders that surround us.
If we really open our eyes,
The simplest things can leave us feeling a sense of awe and wonder.
All of us are uplifted by the sights and sounds of nature.
The enthusiastic singing of birds as they greet the new day,
That's only one example.
But the morning hum of planes as they take off can give rise to feelings of wonder as well.
This is the beautiful noise of the man-made world,
And we are left asking ourselves how have we ever managed to bring about a situation where people can step into a metal cylinder and be transported in comfort to a distant country.
This is a much taken for granted everyday miracle.
So as this new day begins,
I invite you to enter into it with your eyes wide open to the world around you.
This awareness will fill you with gratitude,
Which will in turn make you more inclined to respond to all the possibilities open to you,
Inviting you to make this world a better place.
Our attitude makes all the difference as we go about our days.
Our attitude determines the way we experience the world,
And our attitude helps to create the world that we experience.
Many of us will have come across a well-known story about a man.
This man was considering moving to a new town.
Before making his decision,
The man visited the town and he saw a man sitting on a seat at the town's edge.
The traveller enquired,
What are the people like in this town?
The old man replied with a question of his own,
What are the people like where you come from?
The traveller responded,
Oh,
Where can I even begin to tell you how bad it is there?
Where I come from,
The people are terrible.
In the first place,
They are distant and remote.
Not only are they rude and dishonest,
But so unfriendly.
That's why I'm leaving.
I can't wait to get away from them.
The old man nodded and said,
I'm afraid you'll find the people here are much the same.
The traveller went on his way disappointed,
Continuing his search for a town where he believed he would be happy.
Later that same day,
Another traveller came by.
He was also considering a move to the same town.
He happened to meet the same old man and he put the same question to him.
Do you mind telling me,
What are the people like in this town?
Again,
The old man responded,
What are the people like where you come from?
This traveller said,
They are wonderful people,
Every one of them.
They are kind and generous,
Helpful and welcoming.
I'm sad to be leaving,
But my job has moved to here and I have to move with it.
The old man smiled and said,
I'm happy to tell you,
You'll find the people here are much the same.
This story is a lesson for each of us as we set out on this new day.
Attitude creates the atmosphere that surrounds us.
The feelings and the vibes that we send out,
They'll come back to us as sure as night follows day.
We each have the capacity to create a circle of goodwill that will move out from us.
It will extend and extend until it has an effect far and wide.
So let us enter this new day filled with feelings of gratitude and with a determination to spread a little kindness wherever we go,
Remembering that the measure we give will be the measure we receive.
Being faithful to this resolution as this day comes to an end,
We'll be able to look back on a day and in due course on a life and we can honestly say that we worked to leave this world a little better than we found it.
Namaste.
