Monday, October 6, 2014

Any Place Will Do





















October 6. 2014

You can transform any situation by bombarding it with compassion. 
Make sure you include yourself, and you can always do this. 

- Martha Beck


While leaving to take Claire to the bus stop this morning, Jesse shouted down the stairs. 


Make it a great day! 

Claire in her low-key teenage voice said, Yea, best day of my life, um.
I chimed in, Well, you never know...
Claire said, Mom, I know.

Heading off to high school at 6:45 on a Monday morning is not the best day of your life, even if you're homecoming queen or valedictorian or a cheery member of the cheer squad. Claire's right. Um. Mom, trust me, I know. What struck me is how in our have the best day, live your best life, go go go culture, I can feel like a total slacker if I have just a good day. Or an okay day. If I sink to a low day, the slippery slope of autumnal sadness, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin, hell. That really worries me because that's a best day of my life I've screwed up, not taken advantage of, blown. 

That's crazy thinking. You can't blow a day.


The steady drum of anxiety pumping in the air that says, not good enough not good enough is hard to miss. If you're on the sensitive side, you may be walking around wondering why you haven't made the pumpkin walnut muffins this morning before work, (and after your thirty minute yoga practice).  Or checked your 401K portfolio to make sure you're on track for retirement because the commercial asks the question, Are you going to outlive your money? I don't even know how to answer that question. It makes me breathless and light-headed. 




Just for today, lie down for five minutes and breathe into your ordinary, good enough, beautiful, best messy life. I like stretching out in the road in front of my house, when the sun has heated up the concrete. (palms up, open to receive. ah.)

Bed, living room floor, your classroom, office. Or don't lie down. Sit in a chair, on a subway. You can be walking, jogging, food shopping, banking, having dental work ~ 

Any place will do.














bombard yourself with compassion. 

namaste,
xo b