This is a great meditation, and like you said, the reason will find you. Thank you, I do know why.
I listened to your meditations throughout high school and college, but when my life spun out of control in 2020 I lost touch with happiness, reality and your work for a few years. Recently my life's finally taken a turn for the better, and when I came across a rogue meditation of yours on Spotify the other day I just started sobbing when I heard your voice again. Your thoughts have been a guiding star in my life for a very long time. Even when times were tough your ideas carried me through the last 5 years, and thanks to that chance Spotify encounter I've been listening to and reading your content again.
I'll never be able to thank you enough for being a safe haven in the storm and helping me tune into my internal compass. Your work is incredibly valuable, and I hope you keep doing it for a long time. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Juno thank you for this humbling note my friend i’m glad things have taken a turn for the better. Reading this makes me feel so much amazement for our simple shared practice: so underwhelming on the surface, so life-changing at the depths.
What I appreciate about Jeff is the “down to earth-ness” of his words. He humanizes our experiences on this planet. He speaks of his broken parts, we all have them, with acceptance. What a concept. I was raised to be a “good girl”. My mother was so good at this that it has stuck with me all my 77 years later. I need a constant this reminder Thanks Jeff. Charlotte
Hi Jeff! I find your Thank You practice so helpful for creating space and bringing peace. The experience is similar to Sebene's Let It Be practice. I think you may both be getting at the idea of simultaneous acknowledgement of the current state AND hope for something different.
I have a tendency to want everything to be better, to lighten up. Everything All at Once. This practice reminds me that even a sliver of peace is available, that even a sliver of peace helps, and that gratitude is a powerful instigator. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Jeff- this was amazing. I have recently begun praying again after a pretty long hiatus. I love Sebane’s references to ancestors because I feel them pretty strongly sometimes. I know I tend to reference my Dad a lot - he was the best. The first line of your post about prayer made me think of something he used to say: “there’s no atheists in foxholes”. He was also pretty funny. Best to all💕
Loved this post!!! I live with metastatic cancer and have LOTS of “complaints” about how nature is unfolding in my body. I am also dedicated to caring for my mind and heart. I have found great relief in the prayer “ thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.” It immediately returns me to my largest self where everything is fine, even the unfolding of cancer. Prayer has a place for me in quieting my mind and opening my heart and I love seeing your musings!
My friend Sebene says the exact same thing about her cancer. I find her poise and strength around it incredible. yours too Nicole. Humbling. I can’t hear it enough, helps me put my own struggles in perspective. Thank you for sharing!
I have been struggling with the concept of prayer for as long as I can remember. Not being strongly connected to a faith (a “lapsed Catholic” as my Mom likes to say 😄), I have always felt a bit weird about praying for something. Who am I actually praying to? What right do I have to keep asking for something or requesting deliverance to some outcome I have identified as the “right one.” It has just never sat right with me. And a bit of shame developed throughout my life that maybe I’m not a good person because I don’t know how to pray.
Earlier this year, I ran a little meditation for beginners group to open some friends to my disoveries with meditation over the past year. in one of our weekly Zoom sessions, the concept of prayer came up. Exploration during that session led me to a different view of my “prayer life” than I had ever previously stumbled upon. I realized that for me, prayer is about intent and wishing for comfort and peace for others in my life. When someone is suffering, my sincere wish for their ease to return (or show up for the first time in their lives, even!) is, in fact, prayer. When someone needs me and I devote my full presence and attention to them in that moment, that’s prayer. When I notice the world around me, feel my body in a moment in time, look with intent at my husband, or take pencil in hand and write presently, that is prayer. So, to summarize, for me, prayer is presence.
Today’s practice felt really custom-designed for me from Jeff’s opening words about this being about “open-ended” gratitude. Not seeking anything in particular, but just having a moment of gratitude for the turbulent “Richard Soup” in which I currently swim, and seeing what might appear out of that.
I do think i felt a small space of peace appear. A sense also that this might be my time to shine. Maybe this is the time I’ve been training for my whole life, maybe? In the coming weeks and months, my entire professional life is about to change due to the closure of my hospital and the elimination of my role as a Nurse Educator in the hospital I’ve trained in and worked at for almost 20 years. Additional thoughts that came up in this “space” today included the thoughts that maybe I can really be here for dozens and dozens of staff that will be needing my guidance and support right now as I get them transitioned to new practice areas. Maybe, a sense of gathering strength popped in too.
Anyway, I think all of the above creeped in just because of the tiny sliver of space that opened up by having some unequivocal gratitude for the connected feeling I had in those moments of saying “Thank you. I don’t know why.”
Love to you all. The dust always settles. Whatever you are going through today, I wish solidity for you. And that’s prayer.
As a fellow “lapsed Catholic” and a fellow nurse my heart goes out to you. I love your idea of supporting your colleagues right now. I know you will be great at it!
Thank you my friend! Sad times, indeed. A storied institution that has served the underrepresented in NYC for 130 years. 🥹. Thank you for your kind words.
As clergy, I have realized that I can never say thank you enough. I try, but like most folks it’s often easier to say thank you to the person who fills your coffee cup, or does the dishes after supper (bless his cotton socks), but to take that extra time, however brief, is another step in development. Easy to forget, wonderful to remember.
The beauty of the mental thank you are doing it simply. No one needs to know, you want no credit for it, you just connect. Bless you for the work you do.
I like this one. It reminds me of some advice I took early in my career which was ‘The less you worry about who gets the credit, the more you can get done.’ Thanking someone who stole my idea was hard at first since I was more focused on the result, it always turned out fine. Good leaders know who the good people are. From my perspective, thanking without knowing why changes it from a transactional mindset to something closer equanimity infused gratitude.
Peter nice to see you here friend. As always, you find the perfect words. I loved your latest synchronicity email / post. Ever since you first told me about the Maharishi’s “support of nature” I have experienced it that way!
Thank you Jeff for this meditation. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by awfulness that is swirling around us, and this brought me a few moments of calm. Somehow, keeping the expression of gratitude very open and undefined allowed some spaciousness. I think that gratitude allows for presence, or maybe gratitude is presence. I don’t know why.
When I had more affiliation with the United Church, I once learned a lovely way to approach prayer with the acronym “PATH”. P for praise, A for apology, T for thanks and H for help. It struck me how these directives could be pointed not just towards some higher power or unifying source…but also inwards. P “You’re great!” A “Let’s learn to forgive ourselves for fucking up from time to time” T “You’ve handled yourself pretty good at times and been a decent human being and finally, H “get out of your own way, get your ass in gear and draw on your resources to dig you or someone you care for out of this rut or challenge”.
Thank you Jeff for this really great practice! It worked 💜💜 what I loved most about it is that what showed up was so completely unexpected. It really allowed me to tap into profound gratitude, opened the heart and completely put the everyday noise and worries in the background. THANK YOU 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you …. And, I do know why! This is a lovely message that hit home for me (and probably many others who get to read your witty and insightful essay)! A new way to build space, hit reset, and be grateful for all the moments that bring us a sense of, “it’s going to be alright!”
Hey Jeff,
This is a great meditation, and like you said, the reason will find you. Thank you, I do know why.
I listened to your meditations throughout high school and college, but when my life spun out of control in 2020 I lost touch with happiness, reality and your work for a few years. Recently my life's finally taken a turn for the better, and when I came across a rogue meditation of yours on Spotify the other day I just started sobbing when I heard your voice again. Your thoughts have been a guiding star in my life for a very long time. Even when times were tough your ideas carried me through the last 5 years, and thanks to that chance Spotify encounter I've been listening to and reading your content again.
I'll never be able to thank you enough for being a safe haven in the storm and helping me tune into my internal compass. Your work is incredibly valuable, and I hope you keep doing it for a long time. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Juno thank you for this humbling note my friend i’m glad things have taken a turn for the better. Reading this makes me feel so much amazement for our simple shared practice: so underwhelming on the surface, so life-changing at the depths.
This is perfect! I don’t know why😉
What I appreciate about Jeff is the “down to earth-ness” of his words. He humanizes our experiences on this planet. He speaks of his broken parts, we all have them, with acceptance. What a concept. I was raised to be a “good girl”. My mother was so good at this that it has stuck with me all my 77 years later. I need a constant this reminder Thanks Jeff. Charlotte
❤️
Hi Jeff! I find your Thank You practice so helpful for creating space and bringing peace. The experience is similar to Sebene's Let It Be practice. I think you may both be getting at the idea of simultaneous acknowledgement of the current state AND hope for something different.
Yes, I think you can have both at the same time, infact the acknowledgment can be the beginning of doing something about it!
I have a tendency to want everything to be better, to lighten up. Everything All at Once. This practice reminds me that even a sliver of peace is available, that even a sliver of peace helps, and that gratitude is a powerful instigator. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Jeff- this was amazing. I have recently begun praying again after a pretty long hiatus. I love Sebane’s references to ancestors because I feel them pretty strongly sometimes. I know I tend to reference my Dad a lot - he was the best. The first line of your post about prayer made me think of something he used to say: “there’s no atheists in foxholes”. He was also pretty funny. Best to all💕
Your dad does sound like the best
Loved this post!!! I live with metastatic cancer and have LOTS of “complaints” about how nature is unfolding in my body. I am also dedicated to caring for my mind and heart. I have found great relief in the prayer “ thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.” It immediately returns me to my largest self where everything is fine, even the unfolding of cancer. Prayer has a place for me in quieting my mind and opening my heart and I love seeing your musings!
My friend Sebene says the exact same thing about her cancer. I find her poise and strength around it incredible. yours too Nicole. Humbling. I can’t hear it enough, helps me put my own struggles in perspective. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Jeff,
It reminded me of "The Guest House", by Rumi, turned into an active meditation. Loved it
Pura Vida
Peter
Pura Vida!
Hello everybody,
I have been struggling with the concept of prayer for as long as I can remember. Not being strongly connected to a faith (a “lapsed Catholic” as my Mom likes to say 😄), I have always felt a bit weird about praying for something. Who am I actually praying to? What right do I have to keep asking for something or requesting deliverance to some outcome I have identified as the “right one.” It has just never sat right with me. And a bit of shame developed throughout my life that maybe I’m not a good person because I don’t know how to pray.
Earlier this year, I ran a little meditation for beginners group to open some friends to my disoveries with meditation over the past year. in one of our weekly Zoom sessions, the concept of prayer came up. Exploration during that session led me to a different view of my “prayer life” than I had ever previously stumbled upon. I realized that for me, prayer is about intent and wishing for comfort and peace for others in my life. When someone is suffering, my sincere wish for their ease to return (or show up for the first time in their lives, even!) is, in fact, prayer. When someone needs me and I devote my full presence and attention to them in that moment, that’s prayer. When I notice the world around me, feel my body in a moment in time, look with intent at my husband, or take pencil in hand and write presently, that is prayer. So, to summarize, for me, prayer is presence.
Today’s practice felt really custom-designed for me from Jeff’s opening words about this being about “open-ended” gratitude. Not seeking anything in particular, but just having a moment of gratitude for the turbulent “Richard Soup” in which I currently swim, and seeing what might appear out of that.
I do think i felt a small space of peace appear. A sense also that this might be my time to shine. Maybe this is the time I’ve been training for my whole life, maybe? In the coming weeks and months, my entire professional life is about to change due to the closure of my hospital and the elimination of my role as a Nurse Educator in the hospital I’ve trained in and worked at for almost 20 years. Additional thoughts that came up in this “space” today included the thoughts that maybe I can really be here for dozens and dozens of staff that will be needing my guidance and support right now as I get them transitioned to new practice areas. Maybe, a sense of gathering strength popped in too.
Anyway, I think all of the above creeped in just because of the tiny sliver of space that opened up by having some unequivocal gratitude for the connected feeling I had in those moments of saying “Thank you. I don’t know why.”
Love to you all. The dust always settles. Whatever you are going through today, I wish solidity for you. And that’s prayer.
RJS
Richard: “Prayer as presence” 😁 I like your thinking around new directions… We can email about that transition
Richard,
As a fellow “lapsed Catholic” and a fellow nurse my heart goes out to you. I love your idea of supporting your colleagues right now. I know you will be great at it!
Thank you my friend! Sad times, indeed. A storied institution that has served the underrepresented in NYC for 130 years. 🥹. Thank you for your kind words.
Hello Jeff.
As clergy, I have realized that I can never say thank you enough. I try, but like most folks it’s often easier to say thank you to the person who fills your coffee cup, or does the dishes after supper (bless his cotton socks), but to take that extra time, however brief, is another step in development. Easy to forget, wonderful to remember.
The beauty of the mental thank you are doing it simply. No one needs to know, you want no credit for it, you just connect. Bless you for the work you do.
“No one needs to know, you just connect.” I like the way you put that Michelle. Curious about your experience of prayer as clergy
I like this one. It reminds me of some advice I took early in my career which was ‘The less you worry about who gets the credit, the more you can get done.’ Thanking someone who stole my idea was hard at first since I was more focused on the result, it always turned out fine. Good leaders know who the good people are. From my perspective, thanking without knowing why changes it from a transactional mindset to something closer equanimity infused gratitude.
I love this point. My default is too often transactional, especially in parenting. quid pro pro kills the romance.
If the only prayer you ever say is thank you, that will be enough.
~ Meister Eckhart
Peter nice to see you here friend. As always, you find the perfect words. I loved your latest synchronicity email / post. Ever since you first told me about the Maharishi’s “support of nature” I have experienced it that way!
Thank you Jeff for this meditation. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by awfulness that is swirling around us, and this brought me a few moments of calm. Somehow, keeping the expression of gratitude very open and undefined allowed some spaciousness. I think that gratitude allows for presence, or maybe gratitude is presence. I don’t know why.
Maybe it settles the system so we’re more likely to notice our own presence. There’s definitely a relationship.
When I had more affiliation with the United Church, I once learned a lovely way to approach prayer with the acronym “PATH”. P for praise, A for apology, T for thanks and H for help. It struck me how these directives could be pointed not just towards some higher power or unifying source…but also inwards. P “You’re great!” A “Let’s learn to forgive ourselves for fucking up from time to time” T “You’ve handled yourself pretty good at times and been a decent human being and finally, H “get out of your own way, get your ass in gear and draw on your resources to dig you or someone you care for out of this rut or challenge”.
Ha! That’s a great acronym, I may have to steal it from the United church. Fortunately, they’re so ecumenical I’m sure they won’t care!
Love this, Ron. (Fellow RN here, by the way 😄)
Thank you Jeff for this really great practice! It worked 💜💜 what I loved most about it is that what showed up was so completely unexpected. It really allowed me to tap into profound gratitude, opened the heart and completely put the everyday noise and worries in the background. THANK YOU 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Amazing! Yeah it really works for me too, especially if I have no agenda
The no agenda is key I think. Good practice of non-attachment too 🙏🏻
Thank you! 🩵
Thank you …. And, I do know why! This is a lovely message that hit home for me (and probably many others who get to read your witty and insightful essay)! A new way to build space, hit reset, and be grateful for all the moments that bring us a sense of, “it’s going to be alright!”
Nice Lori!