Welcome to Day 4:

Last night I went to the Trey Anastasio concert in Phoenix. 

It was an exhilarating reminder…

Sometimes, you need to hand over the keys to your mind, open the windows, air out your thoughts…

...and TRUST THE MUSIC

Click PLAY at the very top...

...to LISTEN TO DAY 4

--Transcription of Today's Meditation--

Continuing our first week's theme, the various ways we define trust. Today, let's trust the music. 

Sometimes we have to trust something other than the same old, same old, I call it the matrix. The ways that you are programmed to live out your life. You give the keys to your mind to everything on social media and all the shows on Netflix and sports and whatever, and whoever you're willing to let drive your thoughts.

One of my all time favorite quotes by Gandhi, "don't walk your dirty feet through my mind."

when we come to meditation. It's a way of saying, "Hey, let me look at who and what I'm letting into my mind and how's that working for me? Is it making me happy? Am I having amazing thoughts about healing and creating and loving and living, or are too many of my thoughts consumed with struggles and anxiety and challenges?"

Little story for you. Last night, a random Tuesday in my hometown of Phoenix. Trey Anastacio is playing a concert at a tiny venue in Phoenix called the van Buren. So as you might know, I have young children ages three and five years old. It's a glorious time in life, but sometimes with young children, you've got to blow off some steam.

I was excited to get out last night for this concert. I did not know what I was getting into. But wow, a mutual friend had this VIP box, so we were lifted above the crowd just to the left of the stage. It was a really amazing vantage point. 

I'm not sure if you're familiar with Trey Anastasio. He's one of the world's most incredible guitar players and the front man for the band Phish, and last night Trey Anastasio brought down the house!!!

Sometimes you got to trust the music. There's so much chatter and static in our minds, but when you open your mind and let a gifted musician take over your mind for a while, whether it's Trey or Beethoven or whoever moves you, they have the power to rearrange your thoughts and kick you into a different gear!

There was a moment last night at the Trey concert, it was set break.  I checked in at home, got back into my Tuesday night mode, thinking about stuff. What do you think about on a Tuesday night? I felt myself getting stuck in my thoughts... was not so pleasant. 

And then Trey comes back on stage wielding his guitar to start the second set and I was thinking, "Trey, you take over my mind for a while! I don't want to deal with it anymore. Here are the keys."

And it was such a relief. Liberation to open the windows, to air out my thoughts, and let Trey kick my mind into a different gear. The grateful dead have a famous line. "When you get confused, listen to the music play."

I have a question for you. Is there something or someone you're letting into your mind right now?

Something maybe you just do it as a matter of habit? Reading the news on the impeachment trial, reading about the royals moving to Canada, something that takes up your bandwidth and does not exactly make you feel good. You only have so much free time in your day. Would you consider taking that time to listen to more music?

It may not be normal for you to kick back and listen to classical music. So I want to invite you to take a few minutes right now. And listen to my favorite piece of classical music, Beethoven's piano concerto number five. This was his last completed piano concerto. I'm going to invite you right now to give the keys to Beethoven and see how this feels, and in just a few minutes I'll be back to lead you into today's meditation.

Taking a moment to get a little more comfortable spread out. Take a deep breath,

Putting your right hand on your belly and your left hand on your heart. Right hand on your belly, left hand on your heart. Inhaling to the right hand on the belly. Exhaling to the left hand on the heart. Inhaling to the right hand on the belly. Exhaling through the left hand on the heart

...and every time you inhale, quietly repeat to yourself, "my mind is open." Every time you exhale, "my heart is free."

Inhale...My mind is open. Exhale...my heart is free. 

For a few minutes, I will leave you to relax, to breathe, to meditate. If your attention wanders off, come back to the breath and those words inhale, my mind is open. Exhale, my heart is free.

--Meditation Begins--

--Meditation Ends--

Coming back to the moment.

To trust the music, to create the space, find the bandwidth to let a gifted musician take over your mind. It's your way of saying, "I've had enough dealing with my own thoughts. You take over, do some rearranging, redecorating, take me into a different gear!"

It requires a shift. You got to turn off the news. Push back from the chatter that takes up so much of your head space and trust the music. 

I'll see you tomorrow, but turn up the music today.

--Wading in the Velvet Sea by Phish--