Starting the Day with an Offer of Loving-kindness

I remember a time when I started the day seizing on the news cycle or my to-do list for work. However, exploring what’s behind anxiety and depression, I shifted my before-dawn routine to quiet time—opening doors and windows to take in nature’s breath.

Settling into a meditative practice has taken years. After all, there are a lot of ways to go about it. I discovered the loving-kindness approach and never looked back. In a nutshell, you start from a place of self-compassion (non-judgment) and repeat a few phrases like:

• May I be peaceful.
• May I be well.
• May I be safe.
• May I be joyful.
• May I find beauty in this day.

Basic stuff, right? The next step is to move the phrasing to a person who’s easy to love, like a benefactor, close friend, relative, or even an animal companion. You picture them and offer loving-kindness, celebrating who they are and what they have brought to your life. You can even imagine this person offering you the same thoughts and smile in return. Here are a few lines from the metta meditation written for my friend:

. . . my thoughts skim
your way, like a hummingbird,
the weight of a postage stamp,
dipping and cloud surfing
turquoise skies, her heart
electrifying a whir
on the easy breath
of the Gulf of Mexico:
may you be peaceful,
may you be well,
may you know emerald springs
and ruby-throated joy.

If sitting longer in the practice, you can move the phrasing to a person you don’t really know (like a checkout clerk or down-the-street neighbor). This opens the door to another step: sending loving-kindness to someone who might stir ill will or conflict in your life. This may not be easy at first, but over time, sitting in non-judgment and sending peace can dissolve negativity.

Focusing on loving-kindness tends to mitigate tension and anxiety. It’s also a nice way to clear emotional clutter before you retire. What’s more, if you’re a creative who journals or sketches, it’s a gateway to creative flow.

If you’re interested in trying a loving-kindness meditation, take a look at some great teachers online—Sharon Salzberg, Rick Hanson, Jack Kornfield, and Tara Brach, to name a few.

“At Sunrise: Metta Meditation” was first published under a different title and form in Braided Way Magazine. It’s the last poem in The Tears of Things: Poems (Madville Publishing).