30 Days
Fundamentally, we are all seeking meaning in our lives. Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, wrote a seminal book about this very concept: Man’s Search for Meaning. We want to matter. We want this life, and the struggles we endure, to have greater meaning than what we might first perceive.
Meaning in our lives primarily comes through three sources: 1) relationships and the love we build; 2) what we contribute to the world, which can include our work; and 3) the appreciation we cultivate, which guides us toward loving life, even with all its challenges.
Before writing today, contemplate the beautiful words of Ellen Bass, the “life, I would take you again” sentiment. To love life is to imbue the ordinary with meaning; to christen our struggles with purpose: to endure, to love, to give.
The Thing Is
BY ELLEN BASS
to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you’ve held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you down like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.Optional
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Your options:
1) 3 Minute Meditation on Meaning and Purpose
2) 8 Minute General Gratitude Meditation (if you practice with a Buddy)
OR
If you are short on time, this 3 breath practice can be done after you write your list:
With eyes closed or lowered gaze:
Inhale for 5 counts
Hold for 5 counts
On the exhale, call to mind the 1st item on your list.
Repeat with the second and third items
You can also try to add a smile or hand on chest to this practice
Gratitude Message for your Buddy
After writing, scroll down to the GREEN button: ‘SEND TODAY’S MESSAGE.’
DO NOT click on the PINK button at the bottom right or you will lose what you have written.
Optional prompt
Day 26: Meaning and Purpose
Today you’re invited to reflect on living with meaning and purpose.