"Open all your pores and bathe in all the tides of nature.
— Henry David Thoreau
"When we take time to remember who we are and what is important to us, we can be more open to life. If we are not open, we miss so much! Being open means the realities of life have a way to get into you, the gates are open, and you won't miss what you don't want to miss.
"One of the ways to open all your pores is to find an image that signifies opening to you. An image is instantaneous, takes little effort, and has a powerful effect on us. (A picture is worth a thousand words.)
"Here are a few examples of images of openness that might get you started in finding your own:
"A dish antenna: open to all the signals of the universe.
"A sapling: stretching to reach the sun and rain.
"A whale: maw agape and swimming through the krill.
"A magnet: attracting your opposites.
"A child: knowing that everything is possible.
"When we race through life never stopping, openness is difficult because too much goes right through us, without making any difference in our lives.
"In the words quoted above, Thoreau uses the analogy of bathing. Perhaps that could be an image for you: When you are immersed in a tub or standing under a steady shower of water, no part of you is missed. You are open.
"Pick a metaphor for openness (perhaps from the list above). Three times today stop and recall your image.”
