To sit beside you while I listen to your story.
We will forget if even for just a moment our separateness while we learn to focus on a deeper appreciation for one another.
To be optimistic about our ability to allow space in our lives for the opportunities to connect even though our cluttered minds attempt to isolate us.
We will return to playfulness and laughter as we engage with each other and learn again how to remember the eyes of those we spend time with along the way.
To find solace in recognizing we do not control the universe let alone the multitude of little things we seek to place under our thumbs.
We will allow differences, fears and disagreements without seeking to destroy what is not like us.
To recognize the magnificent fragility of life.
We will practice mindfully the possibility of abundant joy in the face of impermanence.
To place energy even in the midst of fatigue where I can bring things together for good thus tempering any desire to react hastily on my opinions.
We will build a bridge or become a bridge at every impasse.
To embrace aging with grace and gratitude in order to see it as a passage to deeper questioning and wonder.
We will not compare our lives to that of any another but awake each day for the opportunity to prepare those who do not yet understand the journey.
To notice at every moment how the same ground supports us, how the same air sustains us, and how the same water surrounds us.
We will not request anything of one another except to notice we are made of the same and will return to the same.