"Perhaps we could begin to see prayer not as monologue, but as dialogue. If we understand that it is the relationship with the Sacred that we are after, then as with a good friend, we can come as we are, whenever, wherever. We can come to prayer in whatever mood or reality is ours at the moment: we could be bored or angry or anxious. We do not have to be perfect before God, because we no longer see God as some kind of Old Man/Judge/in the Sky. God is What Is. We can speak as to our Beloved, who accepts us precisely as we are.
"There is a natural rhythm to this kind of prayer. We remain in friendly silence at times, as we do with a close companion. We pause to listen. We see what arises, and we're not afraid to share it. Sometimes tears come, tears of thanksgiving or tears of sadness. Anxiety may arise within us as some new truth surprises us, and our assumptions begin shifting and changing. We feel ourselves pulling back, other times being totally at peace. Prayer like this acknowledges a partnership with God. It's immediate. It's real. You don't need an appointment for this kind of prayer.
"Perhaps we all are in a state of prayer more times than we realize. Perhaps we are praying in a sense when we iron the sleeve of a shirt of someone we love and with each warm touch of the iron, we dwell in that love. Or when we see the wind moving in the branches of the cedar and we feel graced by that beauty and at one with the tree. Or when we see a crocus peeking out of the cold ground in the spring and cannot imagine a holiness greater than this. Perhaps we pray whenever we are thankful. Whenever we love. Whenever delight awakens our senses. Whenever our heart aches at another's pain. Whenever we ourselves are in pain, and we cry out.
"Prayer is not about shaping up. It's about giving in. It's about the cry from your very being that says, 'I am!' Every desire, every longing, every spontaneous gush of compassion — these are prayers. No need to shush them up, no need to tame them. Let them be, in their sheer nakedness and authenticity. Pray without ceasing."
