Smiling: April 6 - 12

We've been delving into the 3S's - sensing, softening, smiling. Let's review.

  Sensing is paying attention to the world through the doorway of the body and listening to our innate wisdom.

Softening is remaining open hearted as we connect to ourselves and others.

Smiling is allowing the outer world to see and experience our inner joy and freedom.

Mindfulness is not a mental massage we give ourselves to feel better. Mindfulness is about being present and showing up for life. We don't keep the benefits of the practice to ourselves. Rather we become a medicine for others, a bridge along the way, a lamp shining in the darkness.

The smiling I'm talking about is not a mask we wear to prevent others from seeing our pain. Rather the source of our smile comes from deep within and splashes to the surface like a fountain. So I'll wrap up today with the reasons why I smile. Feel free to try them out.

Gratitude - When I take the time to look up from my troubles and remember the gift of each day, each breath, each moment, I can't help but smile.

Community - When I survey the decades of my life, I see how I've been loved by family, teachers, mentors, friends, colleagues, teammates, and pets. Love always holds me. This makes my heart smile.

Resistance - As Martin Luther King, Jr. said "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." I hope whenever others think of me, they smile.

Practice

As the weeks continue, more and more friends are being directly impacted. It is a struggle not to be overwhelmed by it all. It is in these times that my mindfulness practice is kinda hard and simultaneously the most helpful resource I have. I need to remember life is always filled with both joy and sorrow. As I open my heart to the suffering of others, it is important to hold on to joy, love, and kindness. I need to make room for both. I still want to flee from the hard stuff. I'd much rather pretend everything is sunny and lose myself in Netflix. But I know what truly gives me hope is planting seeds of joy, love, and kindness, watering them with friendship and action, believing in the day when they will bloom.

Click on the video above to listen to the first song in my playlist.

So here's a very practical and fun way to help stay rooted in these difficult times. Create a playlist that brings you joy and makes you smile. Play it often until the music resounds in your soul. Please share it with me and with others.