- I notice the feelings of discouragement and despair in my body, and I recognize the discomfort I am experiencing.
- I choose to pause and feel the gentle breath of my heart.
- I offer compassion to myself and stay with the felt sense of my own suffering.
- I notice the stream of hopelessness and discouragement passing by, like thick, yellow sludge slowly curving down a tropical river.
- I let this slimy stream drift by with patience and acceptance.
- I remember that we all at times feel despair, fear, and grief, and also that all of us want to be happy.
- I include all those who have experienced despair and hopelessness in their work for this world in my prayer.
- I hold images of our suffering world in my mind's eye – polluted waters and skies, parched earth, distressed animals, and vulnerable humans.
- For our whole shared world, for the well-being and freedom of our world, I choose to wake up, to take care of my own despair.
- Then I can rest in the heart that cares for all.
- I can work on behalf of the two-legged, the four-legged, the winged, and the finned.
- I can wholeheartedly join others in their compassionate engagement.
- Grounding myself in the sensation of breath, I join the clear and immeasurable life-giving flow that interconnects us all.
—
Radhule Weininger in Heartwork