The day starts with the startling alarm clock. You meet it with the familiar resistance. All you want is to stay in bed, but that ring is a sign that it absolutely has to happen — now.

Coffee (no offense my dear, you know I love you) becomes the crutch to help you jumpstart the day; the undeniable necessity to clear out the mental cobwebs. Automatic pilot is on: ready to take on the day. The breath tries to catch up, like a kid holding the adult’s hand, who abruptly walks along the fast track shopping spree aisles.

The workday– another challenge to survive. Third time today you’ve glared at the clock wall, hoping lunch time will come soon so that there’s a bit of reminiscense of your last Hawaii vacation: even a sense of the lost art of ease.

Only five more years until (fill in the blank) retirement, school ends, you switch jobs, etc. When did you mount this fast train, again? And, not that it matters just now but, where were you going, you said?

A jolt at the workout scene– loud music of your choice to make this 45 minute bearable. “I will survive!” blasting through the white headphones. Finally you sweat it out, that’s done, and you hope you’ll get the perfect body soon enough.

And you meet two friends who ask how’ve you been. Automated response: “Good, how are you?” (Although you realize you haven’t asked yourself this for a while, hmmm, how have I been really?) They ask when it’s cool to meet to catch up. But, hey, you’re just too busy to meet up. Catching up adds up to yet another to-do on your heavily loaded agenda.

So you say you’ll call them back. You put the reminder on your phone. It will beep at you loudly when it’s time, jolt you into action, reminding you to keep going. Just like every day’s phone beep jumpstarting you out of your sleep.

……………..

But…

(pray for it… wait for it…)

The day will come when you’ll decide to follow the sunset into bed. You will rest. Sleep is the best meditation, Dalai Lama’s actual words! The light of the sunrise will be your alarm-less wakeup invite. You’ll take a long, sweet breath. Are the singing birds outside excited, or is it you just feeling it, and actually ready to get up?

You’ll sit for a while to drink your French Roast cup. You’ll wait for the breath to move you and through you, and your body will be prana-filled and happy to take you along. It will actually tell you just what it needs today ’cause you know now you’re listening (disclaimer: it might want to restart many of your ”usuals” (routines, ways, routes, choices) all over again.

And, you’ll notice.

You’ll notice everything.

Everything that was always there.

Lunch will have a taste, and your day at work will go by in a breeze (Hawaiian ease right at lunchtime?!)

You’ll hear your body’s language: you’re switching your workout to the outdoors today, sweetie. You’ll follow its lead. You’ll sweat it out only because it’s amazing. And you love it.

No worries, you’ll know when it’s a good time to meet, and when to say no, I can’t meet today. Oh, you’re too busy? They’ll ask. No, I actually have an un-busy moment, and I want to dance till dawn, to myself.

are you a survivor or a thriver?