Hello Wind, Coming From Far Away.

A simple way to being right here, right now, with joy.

Saying hello and smiling can change everything.

People tell me all the time that they can’t seem to get their mind and body to be together. Like, really be together, in the same place at the same time doing the same thing.

            One manifestation of this might be going on a walk in the woods and having thoughts constantly scroll through your mind as if you weren’t walking in a gorgeous forest seeking some peace. It’s the scrolling of the mind that keeps us away from our body, and it’s being with the body where we can find some peace (or at least the potential for healing, which can bring peace as well, but that’s for another day).

            Another manifestation of this all-too-common challenge might be driving your car from Point A to Point B, arriving at Point B and realizing you have no memory of driving the car.

            Yes, most of us have done that. It’s a bit terrifying to think of how many people are on the road doing the same thing, right?

            Saying hello and smiling just might be one simple practice to get your mind in the game of joy, and dare I say, some peace too.

            Hello crunchy leaves under my feet.

            Yes, I say this. Out loud. Then I smile. I mean, you can’t help but smile when you talk out loud to other earthkin that won’t speak back to you.

            I can’t do that, that is ridiculous, you might say.

            You probably do it more than you think, I would tell you. In fact, you might have said hello to a dog, a kitty, or a houseplant even today.

            Let’s use the dog as an example here. Some of you probably

say hello to dogs on the regular, right?

            Hi Eddie! You might say when you walk in the door.

            Eddie may or may not give a response, but you are likely still going to smile. This is because it’s really difficult to say hello to such a pure spirit and not create some little bit of joy inside you, and thus around you too.

            Some of you reading this are starting to remember some times when you talk to other beings or things knowing full well they aren’t going to speak back to you, at least in the traditional sense. You might talk to your car, come on buddy, get us to the gas station before we run out of gas. Or you might talk to an old sweater you thought you lost, well there you are, I’ve been looking for you!

            Talking to nonhumans and more-than-humans is far more common than one might think, so you already know how to do it and it’s just a matter of putting it into practice more regularly to bring you fully into a moment, and to fill you with some joy.

            Hello chirping insect that I cannot see. Smile.

            Hello little butterfly, sitting on a flower. Smile.

            Hello tree, bending deep over the river. Smile.

            Hello sunshine, making shadows all around me. Smile.

            This is honestly so much fun. I’m smiling right now.

            Hello tiny ant, making your way across a stick. Smile.

            Hello wind, coming from far away.

            Smile.

            The thing about this simple practice of saying hello and smiling, is that it brings your mind-body-spirit attention all together. You start to notice the wind coming from far away. You notice the yellow butterfly sitting quietly in the cold. You squat down to see the ant on the stick. You feel and acknowledge the crunchy leaves beneath your steps.

            This noticing requires us to pause for a moment, to slow things down a bit, to smile in awe at all the wonders between Point A and Point B instead of thinking our way past them and missing life entirely in the process.

            And guess what?

Saying hello and smiling works with humans too.

            So many of my students tell me that they use their phone “to look busy” when they’re around people.

            Why do you want to look busy? I ask.

            Because it’s so awkward, they say.

            Being with other people who are doing the same thing is awkward? I ask.

            I don’t know what to do, they say.

            Try looking at someone and saying hi, I suggest.

            Remarkably they do this. They challenge themselves when they’re on a crowded bus, waiting for a friend, in line at a restaurant, or walking down the street. They put away their phones, make eye contact, say hello, and smile.

            This, too, is not incredibly uncommon. A lot of people say hello to me when I am at the grocery store. Or maybe I say hello to them and smile first, and they simply do the same in response, I honestly don’t know which one comes first and it doesn’t matter, as long as one person initiates it.

            If you are always looking at your phone, or if you are always scrolling the worries in your head (notice how scrolling on the phone creates scrolling in your mind?) you don’t notice how many other people are smiling and saying hello to eachother. You don’t see how much peace is being passed around and shared, how much potential for joy is in every moment.

            It’s a lot better than scrolling on my phone, many of them tell me, it’s a little awkward at first, but I really like it. I agree. While sometimes looking at your phone can instigate a genuine smile (getting a sweet and unexpected message from someone is quite nice!) or even a genuine laugh (who doesn’t love adorable videos of babies doing silly things?), it still takes you away from your body in this place, right now.

            And for many of us, that is the thief of a genuine sense of joy. A moment of true peace.

            But you can change all that right now.

Just say hello. And smile.