My heart is aching today for sunshine on this dreary day, as I yearn to return to a place of deep rest and tranquility.  It was a time I personally began to take a deeper look into meditation. Sometimes I think maybe that period, only a short while ago, may have been slightly illusionary because I have failed to keep that serenity inside my heart. I have stumbled and fallen back into the disquiet of every day life with the unrest and turmoil it brings, where I keep allowing others to affect me in negative ways.

I want it back…that feeling of peace. I understand now how special it was as the soothing sound of the meditation music I am listening to at the moment triggers my memory. I remember the calmness of watching a palm tree gently blowing in the warm Florida breeze just outside my window. I remember how relaxing it was to be mesmerized by the flow and rhythm of the ocean on a perfect beach day, watching the passing clouds drift lazily by. The happiness of frolicking with my exuberant sidekick Riley amidst the lush vegetation where a gorgeous bird of paradise plant catches my eye. My heart begins to swell again with yearning to go back.  But life insists that I keep moving forward.

Tomorrow I start a new chapter in my life, and my hopes are high that it will lead me in a direction I need to go. One where I will finally find the happiness I have longed for.  One where I can bring positive energy to those who need it the most. Maybe all this inner mysticism is just a touch of angst for the new and unknown. I don’t mean to sound so Deepak Chopra-ish, although I admire him deeply for mentoring me along this meditation journey.

My centering thought today is:  I use my energy to heal and transform. My hope is that I can keep this foremost in my mind as I begin anew. The translation for Om Ritam Namah:  My intentions and desires are in alignment with and supported by the rhythm of the universe.  I am holding tightly onto that mantra with all my heart and soul.

NAMASTE.