Stop.
This is the moment to stop.
To feel this breath moving in your body,
these feet against the ground.
Please pause to notice the thoughts and feelings
that secretly feed your words and actions.
Notice this fear that wells up in your chest —
tight, heavy, sometimes full of tears, or grief, or loneliness.
The storm is brewing outside
and yet there is stillness and peace within.
Take refuge in this breath and in this moment.
It’s ok to cry, or to laugh,
or to wonder, awestruck, at the miracle of this sound, this smell, this touch,
this texture or hue.
Stop.
The busyness can wait one more moment.
And in the vastness between this breath and the next,
can you remember courage?
The strength to take this next step
with choice, purpose and resolve.
The fear is lying to you.
You are so
much
more.
Can you remember compassion?
First for yourself.
You are a great warrior of light and of love.
Remember this.
And also for this next being who meets you upon the path.
And the next…
They suffer too.
They fear and they love.
Truly they are your beloved teacher in disguise.
Be kind.
Can you remember peace?
Not a peace without emotion, or narrative, or to-do lists.
Not a peace without question, or concern, or misstep.
Rather a quiet stillness that resides beneath, between and beyond the waves,
Always
waiting
for you…