Theme/Mantra: “Sometimes floating is enough, (even enjoyable).”
Reading:
The Orange by Wendy Cope
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.
And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.
The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.
Meditation:
Find a comfortable position to take a few breaths.
Pay attention to what tensions you feel and where.
In your body.
Bring to awareness the cause of the tension.
An issue at work.
With family.
Fear for the future.
As you name each issue that creates tension in you, imagine you are placing it in your hands.
Lift your hands up, in an open gesture- and release whatever it is you are holding.
Let go of it.
Take deep breaths as you, one by one, let go of the things you needn’t carry.
Physical Movement:
Float today.
Take a walk around your house, outside, around the office.
And be lighthearted.
Look at what there is to see.
Laugh at what you can find to make you smile.
Do a little dance.
Jump up and click your heels together.
However you need to imagine it-
Float.
A physical embodiment of floating through life- just for a moment.
With eyes for beauty, rather than imperfections.
Feel the joy.
Reflection:
If being a One on the enneagram means anything to you, then you may understand why I need to remind myself to float. To not be so intense. To not carry things so seriously.
I am not filled with anxiety over burdens of life- but I have to work hard to practice living lightly.
So I hope the mantra and exercises of the day speak to your heart, and lighten the load, and remind you of the necessity of letting go. Of what you cannot change. Of the “what-ifs” and “how comes” of life.
Yes life is serious and challenging and sometimes hard (okay, almost always).
Which is why we need to balance it out with being more lighthearted and cheerful.
Practice. I hope it goes well.
(and Modest Mouse is a good place to start for help- Thank you to my friend, Chad Nicholson for introducing me to them).
Song: Float On by Modest Mouse
Lyrics:
I backed my car into a cop car the other day
Well, he just drove off, sometimes life's ok
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh, what did I say?
Well, you just laughed it off, it was all ok
And we'll all float on, ok
And we'll all float on, ok
And we'll all float on, ok
And we'll all float on anyway, well
A fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam
It was worth it just to learn from sleight-of-hand
Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands
Good news will work it's way to all them plans
We both got fired on exactly the same day
Well, we'll float on, good news is on the way
And we'll all float on, ok
And we'll all float on, ok
And we'll all float on, ok
And we'll all float on, alright
Already, we'll all float on
Now don't you worry, we'll all float on
Alright, already, we'll all float on
Alright, don't worry, we'll all float on
Alright, already and we'll all float on
Alright, already, we'll all float on
Alright, don't worry, even if things end up a bit too heavy
We'll all float on, alright
Already we'll all float on
Alright, already we'll all float on
Ok, don't worry, we'll all float on
Even if things get heavy, we'll all float on
Alright, already we'll all float on
Alright, no, don't you worry, we'll all float on
Alright, all float on