It’s 3:14 am.  I’m sitting at my desk contemplating everything I must do today.  It’s Sunday and I need time alone to rest and re-center.  When the ugly realization that I’m not going to get it washes through my heart, I notice that I’m starting to get prickly.  The resentment starts to form as my heart slams shut and my stomach starts to hurt, and I can feel my mind become absolutely disagreeable and argumentative.  Not how I wanted to start a Sunday.

As I reach for my coffee, I notice the Reiki Principles that are hanging on one of my clipboards and I am reminded that I can have a great day, regardless of what I have to do.  I smile to myself and feel my heart and stomach relax and open up.  Just reading the principles already made me feel better, so I decide that:

Just for today….

1.     I will not worry.

When I worry, what I am really saying is that I do not trust that the Universe has my best interests in mind.  If I think about that too much, I can feel ashamed.  Who do I think I am that I am that I would doubt the ability of Creator to take care of things?  That’s pretty disrespectful.  Disrespectful is not something I want to be, so just for today I will let go and trust that God has my back and simply enjoy the ride. 

2.    I will not be angry.

When I get angry it is because I am lacking self-esteem.  When there is a lot going on, or a lot that I have to do, I can start to feel overwhelmed and that everything is spinning out of control.  I then become fearful that I won’t be able to handle what is happening and I believe it!  My doubt in myself and my abilities presents as anger, pushing people away from me so I can stew quietly in my own distress.  Anger also dims my light, and when my light is not shining, I cannot help others, so just for today I will give my anger to source where it can be dealt with accordingly.  So, just for today, I’m going to “Breathe in joy, breathe out anger…breathe in joy, breathe out anger”.

 3.    I will do my work honestly.

When I am not worried or angry, I can focus on the task at hand.  When I am mindful, it doesn’t matter if I’m creating something big, or simply cleaning the toilet, I do it with all my heart.  In other words, I do the best job that I possibly can because it’s about who I am, not what I am doing.  If I want to be my best self, I approach cleaning a toilet with joy because I am being of service to others by making the environment more pleasant and sanitary, and this raises everyone’s vibration.  So, just for today, I’m going to be the best damned toilet cleaner I can be! 

4.     I will give thanks for my many blessings.

Because we are naturally creative, when we reach one goal, five others appear.  This is all part of growing and expanding.  The problem for me comes when I forget to recognize and be grateful for all I have created and for that which has been given to me.  That mountain of laundry is a physical expression of abundance.  Without my children and grandchildren around, I have very little laundry.  There’s a lot of adventure and laughter in that laundry when I shift my perspective.  So, just for today I will thank God for the mountain of laundry and take care of the chore with an open and thankful heart.

 5.    I will be kind to every living thing.

To me, this means being kind to every person, no matter who they are or where they came from, not just friends and family.  Every living thing also includes plants and animals.  For me, kindness starts with admiration.  It’s much easier to be kind and loving, in fact it comes naturally, when I recognize the beauty in other people, places and things.  So, just for today, I will admire my plants and water them with loving intention instead of simply watering them, and I will honor and love my pets, and all creatures big and small.    

 I smile to myself again as I re-read the principles - looks like I’m going to have a pretty darn good day afterall! – Namaste’