Thankful for it Alarm app by Sam Harriswhose teachings and guided meditations help me live with greater clarity, peace and awareness. As a generous gesture, they provided 50 free three-month subscriptions to our site Mindfulness practice community.
Awakening is one of my favorite apps that offers deep insights and practical exercises that help us gain a deeper understanding of who we really are. Whether you’re new to mindfulness or want to go deeper, this is a valuable resource for discovering presence, cultivating calm, and connecting more fully with yourself and life. I highly recommend it.
What I mean: Your many versions
I came across a powerful reflection that stayed with me:
You are a different person to everyone you meet. Some say you are quiet. He never stops talking to others. Some people remember you for your kindness, others for the time you left. You are a villain in someone’s story, a hero in another’s. And to most you are just a passing thought.
The truth is that you do not exist as one person, but as countless versions of yourself shaped by fleeting moments and personal perceptions. You’ll never hear your own laugh the way someone else does. You will never see your absence linger in a room you once filled.
To yourself, you are the only one. But to others, you’re a thousand different stories, none of which you’ll ever read.
This does not call for concern, but for humility and grace. It reminds me that my story is not the only one, and that everyone is the protagonist of their own complex narrative.
What I’m looking forward to: Upcoming workshops and retreats
Our team is happy to invite you to our upcoming virtual events. All are welcome to join us for deep practice and fellowship.
Meditation Retreat with Sean Fargo – October 10
Writing and meditation workshop – October 19
Mindfulness of Thoughts – October 30
Planning a personal meditation retreat – November 6
Inner sanctum: A mini refuge for uncertain times – November 15
The Heart of Mindfulness: Loving Kindness – December 4
Create, sell and run a retreat – December 17
What I practice: I receive life as a gift
My current practice is to see life as a precious gift that I did not create or earn.
When I remember this, even the smallest things become precious: clean water from the tap, the sound of my daughter’s laughter, the morning light streaming across the room.
From this place, I try to open my senses and my heart more fully to what is already here. It’s a gentle reminder that life isn’t just something to be rushed through or controlled, but something to be embraced moment by moment with gratitude and wonder.
A poem I love: “The Orange” by Wendy Cope.
This poem perfectly captures the essence of finding profound peace in ordinary moments.
The Orange
I bought a huge orange at lunchtime
His size made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave
They got a quarter and I got a half.
And that orange made me so happy
As ordinary things do
Only recently. The shopping. A walk in the park.
It is peace and contentment. This is new.
The rest of the day was fairly easy.
I’ve done all the jobs on my list
And I enjoyed them and had some time.
i love you I’m glad to exist.
—Wendy Cope
May your week be filled with moments that make you happy to exist.
