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News flash: life is hard.

While we may wake up every morning, open our eyes and tell ourselves, “today is going to be GREAT,” there is a host of stimuli in the world ready to barge in at us, threatening to throw us off our greatness train.

Traffic, people, frustrated baristas, bosses, honking, aggressive construction down the streets, small children, schedule snafus, body aches… the list does not end, but I’ll end it there.

So if we only have five minutes (which is all a lot of us have) to have a conversation with the part of ourselves that wants to just take issue with everything going on in the world, let’s use those five minutes wisely.

Metta Meditation for peace:

May I be safe.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I know peace.

May the person for whom compassion comes easy for me  be safe.
May the person for whom compassion comes easy for me be happy.
May the person for whom compassion comes easy for me be healthy.
May the person for whom compassion comes easy for me know peace.

May the strangers in my life be safe.
May the strangers in my life be happy.
May the strangers in my life be healthy.
May the strangers in my life know peace.

May my enemy be safe.
May my enemy be happy.
May my enemy be healthy.
May my enemy know peace.

May all beings be safe.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings know peace.

Let me warn you: when you first start doing this, you’re going to feel like you’re full of shit (maybe, or maybe not, I don’t know you). Maybe you won’t believe everything that you say.

Keep saying it.

Everyday.

Keep showing up and saying it and watch yourself not believe a word of it. Do this for ten years if you want to.

Because here’s the thing: one day, you might believe all of it.

One day, you may bring to mind the one person who has driven screws and nails into your heart-bed and wish them well.

And you won’t wish them well for their sake; you’ll wish them well for your sake—so you don’t have to carry around that conflict inside of you anymore.

I wish for all of us to live in such a way where we don’t experience internal conflict. I wish for all of us to show up to the places we show up to without distraction, without fear, without anger and without resentment.

Our power is our peace. Let’s rock it.

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Ed: Catherine Monkman