I recently listened to a guided meditation that was not only interesting, but quite enlightening.  The soft female voice asked me to “jump into my partner’s body.”  I thought to myself, What?  “Don’t think too hard about it, just leap,” she continued. So I ‘leapt’ into Dan’s body.

From this new vantage point, I walked down the street, lifted things, touched things, saw life from the perspective of a 230 lb, 6′5″ male.  Through his eyes, I imagined his childhood as he experienced it.  I came home from work and greeted myself from his perspective.  It was, shall we say, eye opening.

The point of the exercise is to develop empathy and compassion for the other.  You can imagine a body exchange with anyone in your life - your boss, your children, your aging mother.  This really brings the idea of walking in another’s shoes to life. 

When we judge our loved one’s behavior from our own perspective, it is temptingly easy to blame or criticism them.  But this tendency softens when we discover the world through their eyes and in their skin.  Try this exercise for yourself and see if your relationships become more tender - and more peaceful.

Expcerpted from the Newsletter,

 “Still Waters:  Tools and Resources for Living Deeply”

Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW is the author of

“Shortcuts to Inner Peace: 70 Paths to Everyday Serenity”

and

 “Transcending Loss:  Understanding the Lifelong Impact of Grief and How to Make it Meaningful”

Life is filled with lots of different kinds of moments. Some moments feel stressful and overwhelming. Some moments are heartbreakingly sad. A few moments are ‘million dollar moments’ — mountain top experiences — such as weddings, births of children, graduations, promotions . . . or book launches.

For me, I’m thrilled to launch a book (on 11/1/11) for the first time in a decade. Like other ‘million dollar moments’, this one is fraught with a complex mixture of excitement, exhaustion, expectation, and a little anxiety. And like most moments, it will come and it will go.

I have found that while the big moments stand out in memory, it’s actually the smaller ‘penny moments’ that really add richness to my life. Noticing and savoring simple pleasures - a cornflower blue sky, a hug from a loved one, a phone chat with an old friend, hot tea on a chilly evening - these offer cause for quiet jubilation. Life offers its gifts moment by ordinary moment.

A few years ago, my husband and I began choosing sparkling wine on our evening restaurant dates. Often the waiter will ask us if we are celebrating anything special. “Yes,” we answer, “This moment.” Let’s celebrate.

Expcerpted from the Newsletter,

 “Still Waters:  Tools and Resources for Living Deeply”

Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW is the author of

“Shortcuts to Inner Peace: 70 Paths to Everyday Serenity”

and

 “Transcending Loss:  Understanding the Lifelong Impact of Grief and How to Make it Meaningful”

I placed a phone call to an elderly woman who was recently widowed.  When the answering machine picked up, I didn’t hear the customary greeting of “We’re not home; leave a message.”  Instead, I heard a voice say boldly, “Donald left this earth on February 26^th but I’m happy to say that we had thirty-three wonderful years together and I will always be grateful for those years.  Please leave a message.”

This message was not only open about death, but it was also full of gratitude for life.  I was struck by her willingness to hold her grief and love simultaneously.  Most people associate grief with only deep sorrow and overwhelming pain.  This widow stood in the dark and looked out into the light of love.

I often pose this question to grievers: if you could eliminate all of your heartache and grief, but in exchange you had to erase the relationship that

photo by Rick Evans

 brought you so much happiness, would you want this bargain?  The answer is unilaterally “no.”  No one would ever give up the love in order to give up the pain.

Grief is always attached to a deep love, a special relationship, a dear gift. Our gratitude for the love that was, the love that is, and the love that will always be forms a web of strength that grows in intensity. When we shift our attention from loss to the love that endures, a spirit of gratefulness begins to bloom.  

Expcerpted from the Newsletter,

 “Still Waters:  Tools and Resources for Living Deeply”

Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW is the author of

 “Transcending Loss:  Understanding the Lifelong Impact of Grief and How to Make it Meaningful”

 To order a copy Click Here

I just returned with my family from an overseas vacation.  Traveling as a party of two adults, four teenagers, and one child is no easy feat, but we had a wonderful time.  Adventures were a daily affair as we drove across Croatia, exploring medieval towns.  

Being away, I developed a palpable sense of gratitude.  There was gratitude for the simple things:  for a restaurant just when we needed food,for a clean bathroom (!), for a bed after a long day of plane rides.

photo by Oleg Prigoryanu

And there was gratitude for the bigger things as well:  for our good health, for our safety, and for our togetherness.

Sometimes in the midst of our daily routines, we slip into complacency.   We forget to be mindful of the miracles and gifts that surround us in the moment.  We take our blessings for granted, oblivious to the fact that our lives are less solid and less permanent than we’d like to believe.

As I return to the comforts and familiarities of home, I’m confronted with a growing ‘to do’ list, a grocery list and an errand list.  But I also emerge from my jet lag with a new list of appreciations.  This gratitude list is my new daily template - far more powerful than the others and hopefully, far more enduring.

Expcerpted from the Newsletter,

 “Still Waters:  Tools and Resources for Living Deeply”

Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW is the author of

 “Transcending Loss:  Understanding the Lifelong Impact of Grief and How to Make it Meaningful”

 To order a copy Click Here

My first born child, my oldest daughter, is graduating from high school this month.  Thirty years ago, I also crossed a stage, mortarboard on my head, and reached for my high school diploma.  I bear witness to the cycle of life.

Although I happily leave much of high school behind me, one aspect that I particularly enjoyed was hanging out with my friends and having what we called ‘deep’ conversations.  The discussions felt deep when we talked about what is ‘underneath’ the surface of day to day living.

I liked ‘going deep’ so much that I became a psychotherapist, grief counselor, and writer — all avenues of helping people live and love more deeply.  I companion people as they go below the surface of their lives, pointing to the buoyancy, balance and calm that already exist within them.

When we allow ourselves to live deeply, we savor our inner connection to love and joy and begin to cherish each step along our unique paths.  Even as we take our final steps, even as we ‘graduate’ to whatever comes next, we can savor the calm and vibrancy of life that comes with living deeply.

Expcerpted from the Newsletter,

 “Still Waters:  Tools and Resources for Living Deeply”

Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW is the author of

 “Transcending Loss:  Understanding the Lifelong Impact of Grief and How to Make it Meaningful”

 To order a copy Click Here