Dawn Practice
In the gentle arms of morning,
I wake to the quiet miracle
air in my lungs,
light on the edge of the world,
life still choosing me.
Each breath is proof
nothing is promised.
Each heartbeat says:
not forever,
so pay attention.
Buddha didn’t teach escape,
he taught arrival,
to stand fully inside this moment
like it’s the only one that’s ever been real.
So I look.
I listen.
I slow down.
A flower opening without needing permission.
Sunlight warming skin like forgiveness.
A bird singing like the world still believes in beauty.
Small things but they hold everything.
Gratitude isn’t forced.
It rises naturally when you remember
how fast it can all vanish.
When you stop dragging the past like a chain.
When you stop building the future like a fortress.
And instead, you rest your hands on what’s here.
This cup.
This breath.
This quiet room.
This chance.
Every day offers a lesson, not in perfection, but in practice.
To be kinder, than the voice inside your head.
To soften toward others even when they don’t deserve it.
To let compassion move through you like a clean current,
touching everything, leaving nothing unchanged.
May I meet today with an open heart.
May I treat each moment like sacred ground.
Because life is brief.
And that is exactly why it is holy.
Today is a blessing.
Not because it’s easy, but because it’s here.
And I am still learning to walk this path
with grace,
with gratitude,
with my eyes open.