As you wake up, slip into this morning meditation led by Julie Potiker. She completes the meditation with the poem, "Gathering Nectar", by Julia Fehrenbacher.

"Do you know that sometimes,

when gathering nectar,

bees fall asleep in flowers?" Andrea Gibson

Gathering Nectar

When I am flitting ahead to the next

very important thing, I do not land long enough

to notice steam rise from the mug of mint tea, do not

breathe in the sweet scent of fresh honey the bees

worked so long and hard to make, do not notice

the moment on this Monday morning when sun smiles through the layers and layers of sorrow. When my head is bent

to the brutal, mind buzzing no no no, I do not notice

when my old dog looks up for a pet. Later,

I will notice the trees still alive with so much

vibrant color—as if God was up all night

with her paintbrush. Later, I will land long enough

to taste the sweetness. Or, perhaps, I might remember

that sweetness can not find me when I am not here. Maybe

the only very important thing is to stop, stop now—

to fill myself with nectar like the bees do, work with others

to make honey, and then offer spoonful after spoonful

to those who have forgotten that no matter

how bitter the bitter, still and always—

we can gather nectar, still and always, we can

fall asleep, and wake, in the flowers.

(©Julia Fehrenbacher, www.juliafehrenbacher.com/Pinterest)

Image found on Pinterest. SIgned copies of her book, "Staying in Love," are available at www.juliafeh.etsy.com).

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.