Stop for Suffering

On days when I race around from task to task, physically or just in my mind, it’s easy for me to succumb to a sense of urgent overwhelm. Everything in me feels tight and anxious, and I push myself even harder to do more. This never ends well. So, I have taken on a new practice: I stop for suffering. Here’s how it works.

First, I resource myself. This means I do what I need to do to get comfortable and connect with a sense of calm. I like to place my hands on my heart, press gently yet firmly, and take a few slow, deep breaths.

Second, and it’s important to do this with no judgement, I think of one of my own hard times. Something is causing me pain. Instead of resisting it or being angry about it, I bring an attitude of warmth to this awareness. I surround myself with a sense of caring. I might say, “Ooh. This is hard.”

Then, I take another deep breath, and I bring to mind someone else’s hard time. With open-hearted presence, and, again, it’s important to do this with no judgement, I infuse an attitude of warmth and caring into my thinking about someone else’s hard time. I might pray, “May this person have all they need.”

Then, I take another deep breath, and I recall my own suffering. I might pray, “May I have all I need.” For a few more spacious moments, in the face of suffering, I stop and rest in kind, loving awareness, taking time out to just be…peace.

Roxanne believes world peace begins with inner peace. One of her favorite ways to cultivate inner peace each springtime is to wander through the hundreds of tulips on gorgeous display at the Kauffman Memorial Gardens.