Breathe in Calm...

Today's post is not only a change of gears from our recent music discussions but also in its brevity.  While preparing to lead a session of my meditation group this week, I came across a brief excerpt from Jeanne de Salzmann's The Reality of Being.  I found myself immediately jotting down this prompt with which to begin my meditation:

Breathe in calm and breathe out joy...

In everything I see, I realize I have a choice of what I focus on.It is up to me to choose to find the special, to find the beauty, to find the joy in all around me.

Breathe in calm and breathe out joy...

I grant myself permission to focus on that which enlivens me, that which elates me, that which frees me.

Breathe in calm and breathe out joy...

I accept that the most empowering vision comes not from expecting the familiar but from being willing to find beauty in unexpected places.  It comes not from "knowing" but from "feeling" and from "desiring."

Breathe in calm and breathe out joy...

My willingness to be surprised is a measure of my ability to experience joy.

May you all find the joy around you in the coming week.