PRAY/ing

Praying

Mary Oliver

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Whatever it is you are doing right now take a moment to pause and to pay attention. Notice what is around you. Notice your body. Notice your breath. If you are in a safe place (meaning not driving, not walking a tight rope, etc.) you might consider closing your eyes. Taking a moment to pause and to just simply notice what's present is one of the most important things you will do all day. It's an opportunity for the quieter voice of your longing to be heard. The voice of your soul requires a different kind of listening, a listening that comes from becoming present and just simply paying attention.

What is your intention today? What are you wanting to create or inspire? Take a moment to listen. Then follow Mary Oliver's advice: patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate. Write it down in the simplist way you can. Or doodle it. Or cut a word out of a magazine. Post it on your desk, on your mirror, somewhere so you will see it and be reminded of it. Write it on your hand. Call a friend and confess it out loud. Or post it on facebook! Become accountable to your soul. Take one step toward your longing, toward whatever it is that makes you thrive no matter how small or humble that step is. Remember that the first step-- the most important step-- is just to simply listen.

This is what I wrote at the top of my journal this morning after my meditation. I re-wrote it on a small piece of red paper and taped it to the side of my computer (see pic above):

Keep your heart open and remain vulnerable.

This is the way to deeper happiness.