Meditation and consciously and gratefully letting sink in nature´s overflowing and unconditional beauty and birdsong when opening the window blinds in the morning to greet the new day.
Reflecting here, is certainly one of them.
The others are: stretching/yoga, meditation, and constantly catching myself and coming back to the present. 😁
I think of the four astronauts up in the sky,
circling the planet
as they did a few days ago,
looking down
and imagining all of us,
little ants
running around
without a thought in our heads
except to keep going, going, going . . .
seeking to get what we want
to fill the hole inside us.
How silly we must look.
My ritual to find and grow inner peace
is to remind myself of this picture
and to remember
that I am just a small part
of a glorious Universe,
far beyond my wildest imagination,
and that my troubles
are even smaller.
My heartbeat and my breath
nourish me
and I pay attention to both,
knowing
that no matter how it looks from down here,
we are all a part of Something
much greater. ♥
I leave you
with a song that is very dear to my heart
in its naked honesty.
From way up here the earth looks very small,
It’s just a little ball of rock and sea and sand,
No bigger than my hand.
From way up here the earth looks very small,
They shouldn’t fight at all
Down there upon that little sphere.
Their time is short, a life is just a day,
You think they’d find a way.
You think they’d get along
And fill their sunlit days with song.
From way up here the earth is very small,
It’s just a little ball, so small, so beautiful and dear.
Their time is short, a life is just a day,
Must be a better way
To use the time that runs among the distant suns.
From way up here the earth is very small,
It’s just a little ball, so small, so beautiful and dear
It looks like gratefulness
won’t let me post it . . .
go to youtube
and type in’ pete seeger from way up here’,
and you should be able to hear it.
It’s really worth the effort.
Body scan meditation is a daily practice for me. It helps me cultivate inner peace by bringing awareness of each body part. This awareness helps me feel more connected to my physical self.
Every morning I make my tea and then sit and say the rosary followed by some daily devotionals. I am at total peace and calm when saying my prayers. Unfortunately; I often get caught up in the wrld around me and all of the chaos and disturbance. I fight injustice one of the most difficult things to take in….however; if I remember to call to mind my prayers; I can come backe to some order of peace. I find that looking out of my windows or standing on my deck and looking out over the countryside, listening to the birds, watching the water in the creek brings me to a sense of wonder and happiness. I am so grateful for this day.
Practicing gratefulness 24/7 is paramount because it sets my perspective. My daily walk which refreshes my body and my soul. Balancing my chakras every day. Doing breath exercises daily which calms my physical and emotional pain. visiting this site and reading and sharing with all of you. journaling and writing poetry. reading books that challenge me to grow.
I find today’s quote from Etty Hillesum profound as I believe I must become the peace I seek.
“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”
Another quote that grabs me is from Pema Chodran: “The peace that we are looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos. Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of ‘unconditional openness’ to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.”
I seek this peace 24/7 too,
dear Carol Ann.
Reading and hearing others,
like you,
Etty Hillesum,
Pema Chodron,
and the people here
all reinforce this in me . . .
thank you. ♥
My husband and I are reading the Bible through together this year. We start the morning with that, along with our first cup of coffee, which is my true first spiritual practice of the day. Then I move to some online daily devotionals. Then I move here to read the thought and question for the day, read through your responses before composing mine. Then I read the daily meditation from Richard Rohr. And now I have added the 100 Days of Gratitude – only day 4, but I’m finding it to be so inspiring and helpful. At night I do breath work and sleep meditations. All this helps me pay attention during the day and be more mindful of the peace that is mine if I choose to live in it.
Coming to Grateful Living every morning, reading the Daily Word, reflecting on the question and responding, and reading all of your reflections is tje second thing I do most days to ground myself in peace.
The first thing I do, is my breath work movement, my inviting the healing, loving energy of the Universe into my heart, mind, body, and spirit. This is followed by my meditation for those in my life, and beyond my life who are in need of healing, loving energy.
These two practices ground me for a peaceful beginning each day. Thank you each for being part of my practice.
On another note, I am doing the 100 day Gratitude Challenge. So my presence here may not be quite as regular, simply a timing situation. Be well, All.
In the morning, I start my coffee;
I open my journal and write the date and what exercise I completed yesterday – guitar, sketching, jogging;
Then, the daily 365 Buddhist reflection of the day;
The daily Stoic;
Followed by daily reflections of several websites: UCC, White Bison, Daily Question, Agnostic meditations;
Then… What is Today?.
It is more of a repetition or routine that feels familiar, and I may learn something: about the world, or myself.
My inner peace is cultivated through various forms of practice: answering this daily question, reflecting on the daily Gospel, engaging in positive self-talk when there are any arising confusions, negative thoughts, or self-doubts. Each of these has helped my garden of peace grow healthy and beautiful.
Die Frage: Was schenkt mir das Leben jetzt, heute, in diesem Moment?
Wenn ich mit dieser Frage durch den Tag gehe, wird jede Begegnung und jeder Moment so, dass ich beschenkt werde von der Schönheit der Natur, dem Menschen, dem Leben und ich mitten
The question: What is life giving me right now, today, at this very moment? When I go through the day with this question in mind, every encounter and every moment becomes an occasion for me to be blessed by the beauty of nature, of people, of life – and I find myself right at the heart of it all
Finding peace at my center,
dear Tomchi,
opens me to peace throughout the day,
no matter the circumstances . . .
thank you for your reflection.
All things help. ♥
Thank you Tomchi.
I love that feeling of finding myself right at the heart of it all.
Right now, I’m looking across a beautifully still lake. The water is like glass, reflecting the trees and sky with the morning light streaming across. The beauty of nature is all around and I feel so blessed and fortunate to find myself here. This is a feeling of joy that I can carry with me today, regardless of what happens in the world around me.
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Meditation and consciously and gratefully letting sink in nature´s overflowing and unconditional beauty and birdsong when opening the window blinds in the morning to greet the new day.
Reflecting here, is certainly one of them.
The others are: stretching/yoga, meditation, and constantly catching myself and coming back to the present. 😁
Coming to this website, my faith, being in nature, practicing yoga and staying connected to my family and friends that bring me peace. ☮️
I think of the four astronauts up in the sky,
circling the planet
as they did a few days ago,
looking down
and imagining all of us,
little ants
running around
without a thought in our heads
except to keep going, going, going . . .
seeking to get what we want
to fill the hole inside us.
How silly we must look.
My ritual to find and grow inner peace
is to remind myself of this picture
and to remember
that I am just a small part
of a glorious Universe,
far beyond my wildest imagination,
and that my troubles
are even smaller.
My heartbeat and my breath
nourish me
and I pay attention to both,
knowing
that no matter how it looks from down here,
we are all a part of Something
much greater. ♥
I leave you
with a song that is very dear to my heart
in its naked honesty.
From way up here the earth looks very small,
It’s just a little ball of rock and sea and sand,
No bigger than my hand.
From way up here the earth looks very small,
They shouldn’t fight at all
Down there upon that little sphere.
Their time is short, a life is just a day,
You think they’d find a way.
You think they’d get along
And fill their sunlit days with song.
From way up here the earth is very small,
It’s just a little ball, so small, so beautiful and dear.
Their time is short, a life is just a day,
Must be a better way
To use the time that runs among the distant suns.
From way up here the earth is very small,
It’s just a little ball, so small, so beautiful and dear
Songwriters: Peter Seeger / Malvina Reynolds
Thank you for those lyrics, dear Sparrow.
I thought I had posted a link to the song,
dear Joseph . . .
if I did,
here it is now. ♥
It looks like gratefulness
won’t let me post it . . .
go to youtube
and type in’ pete seeger from way up here’,
and you should be able to hear it.
It’s really worth the effort.
Body scan meditation is a daily practice for me. It helps me cultivate inner peace by bringing awareness of each body part. This awareness helps me feel more connected to my physical self.
Every morning I make my tea and then sit and say the rosary followed by some daily devotionals. I am at total peace and calm when saying my prayers. Unfortunately; I often get caught up in the wrld around me and all of the chaos and disturbance. I fight injustice one of the most difficult things to take in….however; if I remember to call to mind my prayers; I can come backe to some order of peace. I find that looking out of my windows or standing on my deck and looking out over the countryside, listening to the birds, watching the water in the creek brings me to a sense of wonder and happiness. I am so grateful for this day.
Nature
always brings to a peaceful place too,
dear Nanette . . .
thank you
for sharing the picture out your window. ♥
Practicing gratefulness 24/7 is paramount because it sets my perspective. My daily walk which refreshes my body and my soul. Balancing my chakras every day. Doing breath exercises daily which calms my physical and emotional pain. visiting this site and reading and sharing with all of you. journaling and writing poetry. reading books that challenge me to grow.
I find today’s quote from Etty Hillesum profound as I believe I must become the peace I seek.
“Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.”
Another quote that grabs me is from Pema Chodran: “The peace that we are looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos. Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of ‘unconditional openness’ to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.”
I seek this peace 24/7 too,
dear Carol Ann.
Reading and hearing others,
like you,
Etty Hillesum,
Pema Chodron,
and the people here
all reinforce this in me . . .
thank you. ♥
My cornerstones: Coming to this site each morning. Reading poetry. Walking in nature.
Practices I return to over and over but am not consistent in and mean to come back to yet again so this is a good prompt: Meditation. Yoga.
My husband and I are reading the Bible through together this year. We start the morning with that, along with our first cup of coffee, which is my true first spiritual practice of the day. Then I move to some online daily devotionals. Then I move here to read the thought and question for the day, read through your responses before composing mine. Then I read the daily meditation from Richard Rohr. And now I have added the 100 Days of Gratitude – only day 4, but I’m finding it to be so inspiring and helpful. At night I do breath work and sleep meditations. All this helps me pay attention during the day and be more mindful of the peace that is mine if I choose to live in it.
I do most of the practices that others have mentioned. My only addition would be to play word games and contact at least 2 folks everyday.
Coming to Grateful Living every morning, reading the Daily Word, reflecting on the question and responding, and reading all of your reflections is tje second thing I do most days to ground myself in peace.
The first thing I do, is my breath work movement, my inviting the healing, loving energy of the Universe into my heart, mind, body, and spirit. This is followed by my meditation for those in my life, and beyond my life who are in need of healing, loving energy.
These two practices ground me for a peaceful beginning each day. Thank you each for being part of my practice.
On another note, I am doing the 100 day Gratitude Challenge. So my presence here may not be quite as regular, simply a timing situation. Be well, All.
In the morning, I start my coffee;
I open my journal and write the date and what exercise I completed yesterday – guitar, sketching, jogging;
Then, the daily 365 Buddhist reflection of the day;
The daily Stoic;
Followed by daily reflections of several websites: UCC, White Bison, Daily Question, Agnostic meditations;
Then… What is Today?.
It is more of a repetition or routine that feels familiar, and I may learn something: about the world, or myself.
My inner peace is cultivated through various forms of practice: answering this daily question, reflecting on the daily Gospel, engaging in positive self-talk when there are any arising confusions, negative thoughts, or self-doubts. Each of these has helped my garden of peace grow healthy and beautiful.
My Ngoc, by the time you were playing your daily gospel in the other room, I started sleeping soundly.
I read the verse of the day every morning on the Bible App.
Die Frage: Was schenkt mir das Leben jetzt, heute, in diesem Moment?
Wenn ich mit dieser Frage durch den Tag gehe, wird jede Begegnung und jeder Moment so, dass ich beschenkt werde von der Schönheit der Natur, dem Menschen, dem Leben und ich mitten
The question: What is life giving me right now, today, at this very moment? When I go through the day with this question in mind, every encounter and every moment becomes an occasion for me to be blessed by the beauty of nature, of people, of life – and I find myself right at the heart of it all
Finding peace at my center,
dear Tomchi,
opens me to peace throughout the day,
no matter the circumstances . . .
thank you for your reflection.
All things help. ♥
Thank you Tomchi.
I love that feeling of finding myself right at the heart of it all.
Right now, I’m looking across a beautifully still lake. The water is like glass, reflecting the trees and sky with the morning light streaming across. The beauty of nature is all around and I feel so blessed and fortunate to find myself here. This is a feeling of joy that I can carry with me today, regardless of what happens in the world around me.
I love the picture you have painted,
dear TomG . . . ♥