Tiny Blessings

Tiny Blessings: the gift of kind thoughts

There is a kind of meditation I read about once that I found really useful - well, several, really, but this one is a particular favorite. Unlike the sitting meditations, this one is done while walking. Basically, the meditation consists of these steps:

Find a place/time to walk when it is likely you will encounter other people
As you walk, notice a person coming toward you: do they seem sad or troubled? do they walk slowly as if they are tired or in pain? do they appear to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders? do they seem lonely or angry or fearful? There are so many ways we struggle in the world as humans, and many times - if we pay attention - we can gain a feeling for what someone might be dealing with.
Don't think too hard about this. There isn't a right or wrong way to go about it. Glance at a person, allow yourself to have an impression.
Silently, send out a simple blessing to them: "May you be well." "May you find peace." "May love surround you."

That's all there is to it. Here's why I think it is really powerful:

It brings you into the present moment because it requires you to pay attention to the people around you
It brings a higher level of compassion because you are not thinking about your own struggles but instead are trying to notice the ways someone else might be struggling
It helps you to think of the simple act of sending kind thoughts in a very powerful way
It takes you out of your own cycle of worry for a few moments and helps you to recognize that all of us are carrying burdens