Meditate With Dan : December / January 2020 Newsletter

December / January 2020 Newsletter

Season’s Best to All!

This should be a time for joy, laughter, and cheer! So why instead are many of us dealing with divisiveness and stress? Can we reverse these concerns? My answer is a resounding “Yes!“but only in the context of personal change.

Although it seems people’s values are in decline, we are not helpless in this situation. We have the power to re-create the positive attitudes that once existed. As children we enjoyed a certain amount of overall stability. Family bonds were strengthened through time spent together, and we accepted the teachings of those who were older and wiser. Certainly some change was necessary and inevitable in order to close societal gaps. However, through school and home, the great majority of us learned the importance of honesty, respect, and integrity. Consequently, it is not beyond our capacity today to “be the change.”

I recently saw the movie “Harriet” (about the Underground Railroad). In the film Harriet was told to follow the light of the North Star to find freedom. Fear was the enemy. She held fast to the belief that every day is a new beginning, that something new may appear in life that can help people see things from a different perspective, enabling them to resolve differences peacefully and with genuine justice-quite a Life Lesson for all of us!

The only thing you can take charge of in your life is you. Changing the way you think and feel about a situation can boost your mental and physical well-being and is the best present you can give yourself. War and peace reside within you, but you have a choice; it is completely within your power to create your personal reality. No one can take that power away from you. Which option will you choose?

This season can be much richer if we can put our meditation learning into practice-if we can stay in the present (no pun intended) and remain centered as we balance our joys and disappointments and make room for both at our holiday table. Family and friends can support one another through life’s difficult times. Be with them and share the magic of this time of year, which can fill our hearts with love and contentment.

Seek freedom from whatever suffering you create in your life.

Be the Present – Be the Peace.

Happy Holidays,
Daniel

THOUGHTS FOR THE SEASON

“Loving kindness towards ourselves doesn’t mean getting rid of anything. It means we can still be crazy after all these years. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. The point is not to try to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are all ready.” ~ Pema Chodran

“Your mind is a powerful thing. When you filter it with positive thoughts your life will begin to change.” ~Gautama Buddha

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each year find you a better man.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

LIGHT THOUGHTS
Save God the trouble
There was a young boy who was saying his prayers out loud one night and his brother was listening to him. This boy asked God for a milkshake in the morning. His brother said: “just shake a cow and milk it. It will save God the trouble.”

May the internet bring you comfort when your family goes INSANE this holiday season.

Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.