today, mine is open

oneword

The circumstances put soul in me And there ain't no holdin me I've got a heart made of gold in me Hah, can you believe this is where I've been? And when adversity comes again I'll deal with it then....Gnarls Barkley

I love the lyrics from A Little Better by Gnarls Barkley. I sing it at the gym. (That would be twice a month...maybe).  I belt it out as if I'm singing an anthem. (Not at the gym, this happens in my car or my house when no one is paying attention.) In my minds eye, I see all four chairs turning around during the blind auditions on The Voice.

It gets me thinking about the lifelines we reach for when we feel like we're drowning.

Whatever the cause of our suffering, what helps us feel more at ease?

What are the songs, words, movies, objects, books, people and practices we gravitate towards when we yearn for comfort? Those things that encourage us to take a step back and enable us to breath fully and deeply. What helps us shift our thinking and see things from a different, more clear headed perspective? Like a warm bath or cool washcloth on our forehead.

While reading Laura Munson's book, This Is Not The Story You Think It Is; A Season of Unlikely Happiness, I came across an excerpt from a book she references called The Cloud of Unknowing. She discusses the practice of picking one word. Just one, one syllable word like Love, Hope, or Surrender. One word that is like a "shield" or a "spear".  A word that you "fasten to your heart". A word that tethers us to the ground so we don't fly away. A word that helps keep us in the present and in our hearts

If you had to choose one word right now or maybe if one word were to chose you, what would that word be?  Today, mine is open.