A Lot Of Times In Spiritual Communities,

Somewhere In My Early Twenties I Realized I Was Pretty Constantly Monitoring Myself, Judging How I Was Always Falling Short, Whether It Was About Not Being A Good Enough Daughter Or Friend, Or My Appearance, Or Whatever. I Ended Up Becoming Involved With A Spiritual Path In The Yogic Tradition, Living In An Ashram, Doing A Very Rigorous Spiritual Practice.

My Prayer Became 'may I Find Peace... May I Love This Life No Matter What.' I Was Seeking An Inner Refuge, An Experience Of Presence And Wholeness That Could Carry Me Through Whatever Losses Might Come.

Mindfulness Is A Pause - The Space Between Stimulus And Response: That's Where Choice Lies.

With An Undefended Heart, We Can Fall In Love With Life Over And Over Every Day. We Can Become Children Of Wonder, Grateful To Be Walking On Earth, Grateful To Belong With Each Other And To All Of Creation. We Can Find Our True Refuge In Every Moment, In Every Breath.

When We Relax About Imperfection, We No Longer Lose Our Life Moments In The Pursuit Of Being Different And In The Fear Of What Is Wrong.