Embracing love, we find peace and happiness. Being entangled in judgment and anger, we create suffering. When encountering conflict and/or fear in regards to relationships with others, the tendency may be to judge, blame, or turn away from the other—either emotionally turning away and/or physically turning away, none of which results in the sense of connection that we all desire.
Turning toward others with love involves approaching them with compassion and with the shared goals of connection and commitment in mind. Just as we approach our own experience with mindfulness, when bringing mindfulness to our relationships, we learn to practice compassion, acceptance, and turning toward the other with loving-kindness.
Only by listening inwardly in a fresh and open way will you discern at any given time what most serves your healing and freedom.—Tara Brach
The next time you feel angry toward someone important to you or you feel afraid of being hurt, try being mindful of your intention for embracing love. Take a moment to try to see the situation from their perspective and feel empathy for how they may feel. Inquire within about how you might turn toward your loved one, reach out to them, and connect with an intention of coming closer rather than turning away.
With mindfulness, loving kindness, and self-compassion, we can begin to let go of our expectations about how life and those we love should be. — Sharon Salzburg
May we all be more loving and kind. May we all be happy and at peace.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness teacher, coach, and therapist teaching meditation for healing and creativity and mindfulness for resilience. She has been teaching mindfulness for 30+ years. Jen offers meditation classes online, MBSR online, and mindful journaling for transformation online workshops. Contact Jen to set up mindfulness training or mindfulness coaching services.