Open the little stapled book and it reads,

Nice job.
Good kick!
I believe in you.
Would you like to play?
How’s it going?

That’s all.

hmm. I smile at this under-the-bed find.

“Did you make this during quiet time?”

“huh? Oh yeah,” she says.

A little book of words.

Those words are skill in action.

Those words are an offer of grace.

Offered to another.
Offered to ourselves.

And if we say nothing else,
if we allow the inner commentary on self and others to quiet,
or to run its course and fizzle out,

what are we left with?

If we listen carefully,
(and don’t miss it)
we
are left with

space.

In the space, we get to choose
how we talk to
each other
and
how we talk to
ourselves.

Nice job.
Good kick!
I believe in you.
Would you like to play?
How’s it going?

That’s all.

Yes.
That’s all.

Take good care,
Rachel

p.s. Last year, I wrote a little article on Metta meditation for the International Association of Yoga Therapists. It’s worth reading (or re-reading) if you need some practice phrases for kindness to self or kindness to those that make it a bit tricky. Check it out: Cultivate clarity through the practice of metta.