Don’t ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman, African-American author and Civil Rights leader, in conversation with Gil Bailie
Tag: Joy
Live life to the full
If I had my life to live over again,
I would ask that not a thing be changed,
but that my eyes be opened wider.
Jules Reynard, French Author, 1864 – 1910
Simple presence
Moments of natural meditation are happening to us all the time. We pause at a stop sign while driving or taking a walk, just for a moment, preoccupations of that important meeting tomorrow or memories of yesterday’s flood of emails fall away. We are simply there, noticing other walkers and drivers, cars and sunlight, clouds and trees. A dog barks, and in the distance we hear a siren. For a fleeting moment we have a more intense experience of simple presence.
Gaylon Ferguson, Natural Wakefulness
Being non-aggressive towards ourselves
Coming back to the present moment takes some effort, but the effort is very light. The instruction is to “touch and go.” We touch thoughts by acknowledging them as thinking and then we let them go. It’s a way of relaxing our struggle, like touching a bubble with a feather. It’s a non-aggressive approach to being here.
Pema Chodron
Photo: brokeninaglory
Take what is given
At my feet the white-petalled daisies display
the small suns of their center piece, their – if you don’t
mind my saying so – their hearts.
Of course
I could be wrong, perhaps their hearts are pale and
narrow and hidden in the roots.
What do I know?
But this: it is heaven itself to take what is given,
to see what is plain; what the sun lights up willingly;
for example – I think this
as I reach down, not to pick but merely to touch –
the suitability of the field for the daisies, and the
daisies for the field
Mary Oliver, Daisies
Everyday
It is our interest in our experiences that enables us to become insightful, understanding and wise regarding them…By looking at our mundane and unacceptable experiences with an interested and open mind, insight, understanding and investigation can actually be fostered.
Jason Siff
Mindfulbalance 