Saturday, May 3, 2014

Good Morning.....How to Greet the Day!

Good morning!  Every morning I write in a notebook, journaling about my day to come and how the day before unfolded, etc.  And every morning, "good morning, OU (my nickname for the Universe)" are the first words I write.  The second sentence...."it is good (or great or awesome or fantastic, but never less than 'good') to be here today.  This has helped me look at each day with a freshness that I think we should all try to embrace in our lives....after all, we are alive and there is much beauty and goodness to encounter and soak up contained in each and every day....
I have finally come to a place where I don't think about suicide every day, as in, 'well, if this doesn't work out, I could always just leave this world'....it has taken over three years to reach this point.  So if you are still in a place where you feel that feeling, think that thought, or however you want to put it, on a daily basis...take heart, it will get better.  How did I get here?  I think through continually practicing gratitude and sending out as much love as I can muster (not easy some days, as you all know) to the people that I love, to the people I haven't met yet or may never meet, to the world, the earth, the Universe...I keep my heart open and my mind open and try to put a smile on each person I encounter throughout my days, whether its the cashier at the grocery store or the guy panhandling on the corner...it takes to little effort to brighten someone else's day...and the returns on the investment for these little efforts is immeasurable...
I give myself over to the joy in the sun shining and the birds singing and in whatever tasks I am tackling on any given day....I try to remember (and yeah, sometimes I forget) to do each thing with positive intention, with pure and unconditional love, with care and feeling.  It has made me feel like I am a fount of joy and love and kindness.
The only time I think I lose this feeling is when I'm out driving and get frustrated with other drivers...then I catch myself saying ugly things and thinking ugly things....I am working on this, and its hard, because there are some pretty scary drivers out there on the roads.  But they are dealing with their lives too, and maybe their driving is a reflection of their less than stellar day....I am working on it...hopefully I will find it in my heart to send  these people love too....an expansion of my daily practice.
Today it is easy to greet the morning smiling...its beautiful, sunny, and feels like it is smiling back at me.
I will spend as much time as I can outdoors today...I love to soak up the love floating around out there and I love feeling one with the earth.  Some mornings, the cold, wet, gloomy ones, they are harder to smile at...I have to remember that even these days have a purpose in watering the earth, giving it a rest from too much sun, and giving us a reason to slow down and do other things to smile about.
So my hope for you, my dear readers, is that you find your way to greet each new day...see it as just that...a new day, a new beginning, a fresh blessing, and another chance to experience being alive and connecting with the earth and its inhabitants on so many levels...greet each new day with reverence for the fact that you are still here...that you were meant to still be here....you didn't die because your work isn't finished yet.  Your life is worth something and someone loves you, and most importantly, that you can love yourself, and celebrate that you are worthy of this self-love....every day!
Now I will get on with my new day...this sunny gift....and even as my heart is heavy in some ways, I will get out and do things to lift my spirits and share my joy and my gifts with all who wish to receive....
Have a fantastic day, my friends...it is a clean slate, a gift given that is too precious to be squandered....so go out there and enjoy yourself, share your joy with others, and breathe in all that is good....