While sitting in quiet meditation - bring in phrases of loving kindness to yourself; may I be safe, may I be happy, and may I find moments of ease. Julie Potiker completes the meditation with the poem, "Choices", by James Crews.

"Choices", by James Crews

You can grieve the leaves stripped

from the maple, all that empty

space between bare branches,

or you can bless the abundance

of light shining through, buffing

the pine boards of the floor until

they turn the color of clover honey.

You can mourn the cone-flowers

now shriveled and brown, say

the whole world’s gone to ruin,

or you can stand at the window

watching the lively yellow blossom

of a goldfinch feasting on each

crown of seeds, sending more than

a few back home, down into

the open ground, which knows

how to receive them.

—James Crews

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.