Release your breath as you breathe into this peaceful visualization meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with a reading of her poem, "Morning Time in July".

Morning Time In July, by Julie Potiker

It must be a backhoe.

And maybe a dump truck backing up

Beep beep beep

I’m folded into my sit spot

My favorite cushioned cane chair

Under the eaves

Faded green and yellow scraps with brown spots are scattered on the multi-hued gravel at my feet

The leaves let go of the carob tree and land with a thwack

Coffee in one of my mom’s tall lavender mugs

New poetry book

And peach from our tree

Rest on the cream cement side table

My favorite post-it tabs lift their orange, yellow and blue squares in a hello

ready to be plucked and smoothed on lovingly selected pages of poetry

A lizard doing push-ups in the dappled light

Bees kissing the wild white rose bushes

petals making bright thumb prints in the rich brown earth

The Spotted Towhee breaks through the airwaves with his trill

Under or over his sound there is a chorus from

House Finch

House Sparrow

Northern Mockingbird

American Crow

Wrentit

Hummingbird

The low cooing of Morning Doves

A Red Tailed Hawk might be having a behavior problem - screaming in circles against the clear blue sky, a scoop of moon stuck straight up like a pale white upside down smile

Now my dogs are barking

Hearing the men at the construction site behind our Garden of Eden

Cacophony of noise and dazzling color

So much life

Such gratitude

Morning Time In July, by Julie Potiker

Find out more about using mindfulness in everyday life through Julie's books, "SNAP: From Calm to Chaos", and "Life Falls Apart, But You Don't have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos". Both are available on Amazon.com.

Follow Julie on YouTube and Facebook at Mindful Methods for Life.com

This podcast is available on iTunes, iHeart, Blubrry and everywhere you listen to podcasts.