I get lost in the beauty of everything I see, the world ain’t half as bad as they paint it to be. ~
Ryan Tedder
there is a lot of work to do in making this world a more just, free, and equitable place. there is a lot of work to do in serving truth and love, and keeping the forces of tyranny and destruction at bay. but even as we work in service of love, truth, equity, freedom, and justice, we must not close our eyes to the beauty of this world.
it is the beauty that is in this world, found in nature and in each other, that can fuel and energize our work.
may the turn of the seasons remind us that though change is a constant, there is beauty in the rhythm & cycles of life. each season’s end allows for the birth of another & the continuation of life.
align with love. connect with nature and life. keep focused. do the work needed with a heart of service for the benefit of others and all life (including yourself). let go. rest. rinse and repeat.
rather than ignoring, or running away from unpleasant feelings, thoughts, situations, & rather than grasping onto pleasant feelings, thoughts, & situations, we can simply offer them. whatever we are feeling – sadness, loneliness, anger, fear, grief – we can offer it. when we are feeling happiness, comfort, bliss, we can offer these also, knowing that these feelings also do not last & when they leave us we usually suffer. so, we can offer them.
we can make this into a practice, using the breath as our vehicle for support & letting go. breathing in, we can feel supported by life, by our body, by the oxygen filled air. our bodies need oxygen to function properly & survive, so when we breathe, our body is receiving what it needs & is supported by the oxygen in the air right here in our life. we don’t even have to try to do it, it just happens, we can just allow it. we can also feel supported emotionally, spiritually as we breathe in. we may not know why we are here or how we got here, but we are here – right here in this life, where our lives are supported by innumerable conditions. then, feeling supported, we can acknowledge how we feel, no matter what we are feeling. we can acknowledge it, touching it lightly – ah, yes, this is sadness or fear or anger or happiness, or whatever. then as we breathe out, we can release whatever we are feeling, allowing it to go out with the breath back into the air. we can offer it back to life – here is my sadness, here is my anger, here is my happiness, i release it, i let it go, i offer it.
The Metta Garden 