a Cup of Love

The key to my health, joy, and resiliency is love. It may sound cliché, but it’s absolutely true.
Here are a few simple tricks that keep me in love with myself, the people around me, and the Spirit of Life.

When I wake up in the morning, my first commitment is to never get out of bed with an unloving thought on my mind. So, if I wake up and feel tired, sick, or stressed about my day, I take a moment to lovingly allow my self to have that feeling, and then I choose to shift my focus to a different thought, such as one of gratitude or inspiration.

When I wake up, no matter where or what the day may hold, I take time to pray and to slow down my mind with my breath. Some days I need ten minutes and other days I only need two. As I breathe, I take the time to feel and think about what I love, who I love, what I love to do, and how I will bring compassion into my day.

Throughout the day, I take time to stop and return to a caring mindset as often as I can, or as often as I need to. I use touchstones. The trick is not in the thing used as a touchstone, but in the feeling it evokes: a walk, a seashell, time for a laugh, a photo – whatever works.

Finally, I try to base as many of my decisions as possible on love. In some cases, this means asking myself, What is the most compassionate next step? and in other cases it means asking myself, What would I love the most? Love isn’t always about making people happy or getting what we want. For me, love is a feeling of balance, compassion, and kindness, a feeling of being centered and knowing I’m connected and I’m empowering others. When I act from love, I find that life sorts itself out and no matter what comes to pass I can always learn something and enjoy the process.