WEBVTT - Maya's Slight Change in Perspective 0:00:14.916 --> 0:00:21.916 Pushkin. Hey there, Maya here. I recently wrote a deeply 0:00:21.956 --> 0:00:25.076 personal story about my philosophy on life with my friends 0:00:25.076 --> 0:00:28.716 at the Meditative Story podcast. Writing this essay was a 0:00:28.756 --> 0:00:31.756 transformative experience for me, and so I really wanted you 0:00:31.756 --> 0:00:34.276 all to hear it, and please do reach out with 0:00:34.316 --> 0:00:37.796 any reflections you have after listening. I'd love to hear them. 0:00:37.916 --> 0:00:40.756 You can find me on Instagram at doctor Maya Shunker. 0:00:41.556 --> 0:01:00.276 Okay here it is my Meditative Story. Jimmy invokes all 0:01:00.356 --> 0:01:03.116 of his warmth and channels my dad to remind me 0:01:03.276 --> 0:01:08.396 how in these critical moments, sometimes a slight shift in perspective, 0:01:09.756 --> 0:01:14.036 that little bit of distance is all I need. And 0:01:14.156 --> 0:01:17.516 what I learned from this gratitude exercise is that I 0:01:17.556 --> 0:01:20.556 had become so zeroed in on my quest from motherhood 0:01:20.996 --> 0:01:24.636 I had lost sight of how otherwise rich and multidimensional 0:01:24.796 --> 0:01:35.436 my life is. Maya Shanka is a cognitive scientist and 0:01:35.596 --> 0:01:39.156 host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, selected 0:01:39.196 --> 0:01:41.076 as the best show of the Year by Apple in 0:01:41.116 --> 0:01:45.156 twenty twenty one. As a girl, she struggles with taking 0:01:45.156 --> 0:01:49.596 things too seriously herself, the sufferings of others, and the 0:01:49.676 --> 0:01:54.196 hypothetical misfortunes she imagines for the future. She turns to 0:01:54.276 --> 0:01:57.116 her father for perspective, and he takes her on a 0:01:57.236 --> 0:02:00.756 memorable walk, one that helps her understand her place in 0:02:00.796 --> 0:02:04.436 the universe. Spoiler alert, it's not at the center of it. 0:02:05.436 --> 0:02:08.636 When her adult life brings a new and unexpected kind 0:02:08.676 --> 0:02:11.756 of sorrow, she turns to these lessons from her father 0:02:11.876 --> 0:02:15.276 again to find a balance between the seriousness that comes 0:02:15.276 --> 0:02:19.196 with loving life and the wise perspective of knowing we're 0:02:19.236 --> 0:02:25.516 all just passing through. In this series, we combine immersive 0:02:25.556 --> 0:02:28.996 first person stories, breath taking music, and mindfulness prompts so 0:02:29.036 --> 0:02:31.316 that we may see our lives reflected back to us 0:02:31.316 --> 0:02:34.316 in other people's stories, and that can lead to improvements 0:02:34.316 --> 0:02:38.636 in our own inner lives. From way to what This 0:02:38.796 --> 0:02:49.076 is a meditative story. I'm Rohan and I'll be your guide. 0:03:06.076 --> 0:03:14.676 The body relaxed, your body breathing, Your sense is open, 0:03:15.596 --> 0:03:59.116 your mind open, meeting the world. The apartment in Chennai, 0:03:59.156 --> 0:04:03.396 India is simple and spartan, but full of warmth. My 0:04:03.476 --> 0:04:05.916 husband Jimmy, and I tore the small prayer room with 0:04:05.996 --> 0:04:10.636 our hosts, friends of our family. It showcases dozens of 0:04:10.716 --> 0:04:14.236 glinting metal bowls and statues and paintings of Hindoo gods 0:04:14.236 --> 0:04:18.996 and goddesses in shades of pink, blue and gold. We 0:04:19.116 --> 0:04:21.516 settle into the sitting room, the heart of the house. 0:04:22.396 --> 0:04:28.196 It's full of chatter and laughter. I'm so excited to 0:04:28.196 --> 0:04:31.916 be showing my relatives off to Jimmy. Last Thanksgiving, we 0:04:32.076 --> 0:04:38.436 visited his ancestral homeland, China, and this year it's my turn. 0:04:40.476 --> 0:04:43.476 My aunt and uncle chuckle with their playful vanter as. 0:04:43.476 --> 0:04:47.836 Our hosts serve us snacks chai served in stainless steel cups, 0:04:48.076 --> 0:04:51.476 and an assortment of dried fruits, nuts, and fried snacks. 0:04:52.716 --> 0:04:56.236 The room reminds me of my grandmother's old house, with 0:04:56.316 --> 0:05:00.636 notes of clove and cardamom filling the air. Jimmy and 0:05:00.676 --> 0:05:03.316 my uncle sit under white fluorescent lights on one side 0:05:03.356 --> 0:05:08.036 of the room. They're comparing notes on the nature of consciousness, 0:05:08.796 --> 0:05:12.276 jim from a scientific perspective and my uncle as a 0:05:12.356 --> 0:05:17.076 Hindu spiritualist. It delights me to see Jimmy at ease 0:05:17.116 --> 0:05:23.116 with my family. They say opposites attract, but Jimmy and 0:05:23.116 --> 0:05:26.876 I have minds that are wired so similarly. We reason 0:05:26.916 --> 0:05:30.236 through problems the same way and have similar reactions to things. 0:05:31.276 --> 0:05:35.596 Our greatest point of division lies in our philosophies around existence, 0:05:36.356 --> 0:05:39.676 and now that the conversation has turned to consciousness, I 0:05:39.876 --> 0:05:42.316 chime in and try to explain this difference to my 0:05:42.436 --> 0:05:45.076 uncle and aunt as our friends bring out more plates 0:05:45.076 --> 0:05:48.236 of food. Jimmy is an awe of the fact we 0:05:48.436 --> 0:05:51.876 humans have consciousness at all, I say, and when he 0:05:51.916 --> 0:05:55.916 recognizes just how small the chances were that his consciousness 0:05:55.916 --> 0:06:01.356 came into existence, he is overwhelmed with gratitude. Jimmy is 0:06:01.396 --> 0:06:05.236 just so happy to be here feeling and thinking things, 0:06:06.436 --> 0:06:10.596 and the prospect of losing that terror defies him. If 0:06:10.596 --> 0:06:14.476 he could transfer his consciousness into a machine to ensure 0:06:14.636 --> 0:06:19.396 that he could continue to feel and think indefinitely, Jimmy 0:06:19.436 --> 0:06:39.076 would do it in a heartbeat. My aunt and uncle 0:06:39.156 --> 0:06:42.396 look at me with amusement, but for me, I continue. 0:06:42.836 --> 0:06:48.716 My attitude towards existence is completely different. We all inevitably 0:06:48.796 --> 0:06:53.116 encounter suffering in our lives, and I find this fact distressing. 0:06:54.276 --> 0:06:56.156 If you were to tell me that you could reverse 0:06:56.236 --> 0:06:59.876 the clock and never bring me into existence, I think 0:06:59.916 --> 0:07:04.076 I would be completely fine with that. Non Existence does 0:07:04.116 --> 0:07:10.716 not scare me. Suffering does I shrug. Jimmy has always 0:07:10.756 --> 0:07:14.556 thought I'm a bit odd for having this view. He 0:07:14.596 --> 0:07:17.516 cannot wrap his mind around the fact that anyone would 0:07:17.516 --> 0:07:21.036 have such a cavalier attitude towards whether or not they exist. 0:07:22.676 --> 0:07:25.836 It especially surprises Jimmy to hear this view coming from me, 0:07:26.276 --> 0:07:29.756 given my positive nature. But now I see my aunt 0:07:29.996 --> 0:07:35.116 nodding vigorously. Aha, she says, smiling at me. You are 0:07:35.196 --> 0:07:39.796 a uttl ah. What I say, it's what I am. 0:07:39.876 --> 0:07:44.716 My aunt explains, and your uncle too. We're both uttl's, 0:07:45.676 --> 0:07:53.036 unwilling travelers through life. I burst out, laughing, unwilling travelers 0:07:53.236 --> 0:07:57.796 through life. It is perfect. I feel this delight, this 0:07:57.956 --> 0:08:01.316 sense of deep connection. I've never heard my aunt used 0:08:01.356 --> 0:08:04.396 this term before, but I immediately know what she means, 0:08:04.796 --> 0:08:07.756 and so does Jimmy. Our eyes meet and I can 0:08:07.796 --> 0:08:11.076 tell what he's thinking. So this is where you get 0:08:11.116 --> 0:08:16.836 it from. I'm deeply troubled by human suffering. This is 0:08:16.876 --> 0:08:20.676 why I am an unwilling traveler through life. As a 0:08:20.716 --> 0:08:24.236 little kid, I'm torn up seeing the impoverished children my 0:08:24.276 --> 0:08:27.316 own age. During my visits to India, I watch my 0:08:27.396 --> 0:08:30.956 grandparents suffer as they age, and I feel it myself 0:08:31.156 --> 0:08:33.836 when I'm bullied by the other kids at my suburban 0:08:33.956 --> 0:08:39.076 elementary school. If we didn't exist, sure, there wouldn't be joy, 0:08:39.116 --> 0:08:42.396 but there also wouldn't be misery or the ever looming 0:08:42.476 --> 0:08:46.796 threat of future misery. I marvel that my aunt has 0:08:46.836 --> 0:08:50.396 reached the same conclusion and has coined a charming phrase 0:08:50.516 --> 0:09:03.116 that captures our philosophy, an unwilling traveler through life. I 0:09:03.356 --> 0:09:08.356 beam at my aunt, my uncle, and at Jimmy. I'm 0:09:08.396 --> 0:09:13.636 not alone on this odd desert island. It has other inhabitants. 0:09:35.556 --> 0:09:38.196 Does the idea of being a little detached to life 0:09:38.596 --> 0:09:44.276 feel wise to you or something else? Let's take a 0:09:44.396 --> 0:09:50.116 breath to reflect on the word detachment and how it 0:09:50.156 --> 0:09:56.396 doesn't have to also mean disconnected. What might connected detachment 0:09:56.516 --> 0:10:31.276 be like? The conversation affirms by belief that if we 0:10:31.316 --> 0:10:34.796 can become a bit detached from our own existence, a 0:10:34.836 --> 0:10:38.916 little less enamored of it, perhaps we can better accept 0:10:39.876 --> 0:10:52.716 life's inevitable tragedies. I grow up in Cheshire, Connecticut. Our 0:10:52.756 --> 0:10:54.996 home is a bit of a stretch financially for my 0:10:55.076 --> 0:10:58.516 family of six, all living on my dad's salary as 0:10:58.556 --> 0:11:03.076 an assistant professor of physics. One afternoon, when I'm in 0:11:03.156 --> 0:11:06.556 third grade, I sit with my dad in our family room. 0:11:06.676 --> 0:11:10.596 We're surrounded by light blue wallpaper and beautiful Indian artwork 0:11:10.716 --> 0:11:15.116 my mom painted as a young girl. A Persian rug 0:11:15.156 --> 0:11:19.556 covers the floor. We sit on our crinkled leather sofa. 0:11:19.716 --> 0:11:22.396 I tell my dad about our latest assignment at school, 0:11:22.636 --> 0:11:25.636 where we have to dive deep into a topic. I've 0:11:25.716 --> 0:11:29.756 chosen DNA, and since my father's a scientist, I imagine 0:11:29.836 --> 0:11:34.196 that he's going to love that I've chosen something sciencey, 0:11:34.316 --> 0:11:37.076 so I share it with him, and then, as an afterthought, 0:11:37.236 --> 0:11:41.196 I casually mentioned that my friend Marie's project is about savants, 0:11:41.756 --> 0:11:46.516 people with extraordinary mental gifts and talents. My dad pauses 0:11:46.516 --> 0:11:52.396 for a moment and then remarks savants and how that's 0:11:52.436 --> 0:11:57.516 a fascinating topic. My nerdy competitive streak swings into full gear. 0:11:58.276 --> 0:12:02.116 I shoot back, whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean 0:12:02.156 --> 0:12:08.196 that's fascinating? DNA is the most fascinating topic. My father 0:12:08.316 --> 0:12:12.836 here is my reaction, and leans forward. Hey, maya, he says, 0:12:12.916 --> 0:12:18.316 a bit sternly quick geography lesson the world does not 0:12:18.516 --> 0:12:23.876 revolve around you. His gentle frown hangs under his black mustache. 0:12:25.036 --> 0:12:27.716 I so rarely see that frown, and so it really 0:12:27.756 --> 0:12:31.316 packs a punch. He lays it out clearly for me. 0:12:32.036 --> 0:12:34.676 Let's not forget that you are one of many Maya. 0:12:35.316 --> 0:12:37.556 You should not only be okay with other people having 0:12:37.596 --> 0:12:40.636 better ideas than you, you should expect that that will 0:12:40.676 --> 0:12:44.596 be the case. My dad feeds me this big slice 0:12:44.636 --> 0:12:49.036 of humble pie, and I take it in. He's telling 0:12:49.076 --> 0:12:51.956 me that when we step outside of our own egos, 0:12:52.596 --> 0:12:57.396 our trials and tribulations are put in context. We remain 0:12:57.516 --> 0:13:01.156 humble when good things happen, and are more resilient when 0:13:01.156 --> 0:13:09.316 things don't go our way. My dad's philosophy helps me 0:13:09.396 --> 0:13:17.396 weather some difficult times growing up. I love playing the violin, 0:13:19.316 --> 0:13:24.396 and it becomes the centerpiece of my childhood. At age nine, 0:13:24.476 --> 0:13:29.316 I'm accepted at the Juilliard School of Music's pre college program, 0:13:29.356 --> 0:13:32.636 and as a teenager, it's a pearlman invites me to 0:13:32.676 --> 0:13:37.156 be his private violin student. But at fifteen, I suffer 0:13:37.196 --> 0:13:43.036 an acute hand injury that ends my career overnight. I'm heartbroken. 0:13:46.396 --> 0:13:49.276 By the time I get to college, I've started to 0:13:49.316 --> 0:13:54.356 accept this loss. My dad, who teaches here at Yale, 0:13:54.596 --> 0:13:58.316 is never far Sophomore year, I live in a dorm 0:13:58.316 --> 0:14:01.716 on College Street, and if you keep walking up that street, 0:14:01.876 --> 0:14:04.756 you'll eventually get to Science Hill, where his office is. 0:14:05.836 --> 0:14:08.876 Sometimes we meet halfway to walk around the leafy streets 0:14:08.916 --> 0:14:14.476 of Haven, or to have lunch at Naples, our favorite pizzeria, 0:14:14.836 --> 0:14:20.716 Extra red pepper flakes please always. This fall, at school, 0:14:21.036 --> 0:14:25.196 I'm plagued by a new concern. From the time I 0:14:25.236 --> 0:14:28.036 was a little kid, I'd always dreamed of becoming a mom. 0:14:28.836 --> 0:14:31.436 I had a play kitchen set with a telephone on it, 0:14:31.796 --> 0:14:35.156 and my dad would overhear me calling my fictitious neighbors 0:14:35.236 --> 0:14:39.756 to share stories about my mischievous children. Despite my being 0:14:39.836 --> 0:14:43.556 an unwilling traveler through life, I'd somehow always managed to 0:14:43.596 --> 0:14:46.436 have an idyllic view of what my kids' lives would 0:14:46.436 --> 0:14:51.996 be like, filled with constant joy, smiles and snuggles. This fall, 0:14:52.316 --> 0:14:56.556 that image, which had slowly been forming cracks, is now 0:14:56.756 --> 0:15:01.036 fully punctured. I've been reading about a series of violent 0:15:01.076 --> 0:15:06.636 attacks against transgender and gay teenagers. Now the realization is 0:15:06.636 --> 0:15:10.316 crashing down on me that my kid could suffer terribly 0:15:10.516 --> 0:15:14.516 in this world, and my imagination starts to run wild 0:15:14.756 --> 0:15:23.676 with the countless ways they could feel pain. I'm only 0:15:23.756 --> 0:15:27.836 eighteen years old, yet here I am consumed by an 0:15:27.836 --> 0:15:33.436 obsessive loop of painful images of my children, suffering children 0:15:33.836 --> 0:15:39.836 I don't even have yet. I call my dad in despair. 0:15:40.716 --> 0:15:43.436 He drops whatever he is working on and greets me 0:15:43.516 --> 0:15:47.196 on the sidewalk. We pull our coats tight against the wind, 0:15:47.436 --> 0:15:52.476 and I start to explain my worries. When I'm like this, 0:15:52.876 --> 0:15:55.316 I have a pit deep in my stomach and I 0:15:55.356 --> 0:16:00.836 completely lose my appetite. I feel nauseated. My world feels 0:16:00.876 --> 0:16:05.476 under threat. Boju, he says, a pet name he's had 0:16:05.516 --> 0:16:10.636 for me since childhood. Let's head this way. We set 0:16:10.636 --> 0:16:13.716 out in silence. My dad leads me to the entrance 0:16:13.836 --> 0:16:17.956 of the Grove Street Cemetery. We've never gone this way before. 0:16:18.836 --> 0:16:23.316 It's a cloudy, ominous day. We enter through an impressive 0:16:23.436 --> 0:16:27.876 stone archway, almost like a temple. The last of the 0:16:27.996 --> 0:16:31.436 leaves are falling from the oak trees. The air smells 0:16:31.476 --> 0:16:35.076 like damp earth. In front of us we see the 0:16:35.116 --> 0:16:42.956 old headstones of people who led complicated lives like ours, 0:16:46.436 --> 0:16:54.396 just rows and rows of headstones. Look, Boju, my father says, 0:16:54.756 --> 0:16:59.316 sweeping his gaze around us. No matter what suffering we endure, 0:17:00.436 --> 0:17:06.396 this will be our fate. So never let your fears 0:17:06.436 --> 0:17:13.236 grow too big, let out a hesitant smile. Novel parenting 0:17:13.316 --> 0:17:18.236 style pops. But he's got me something in my mind 0:17:18.996 --> 0:17:28.556 is shifting. My anxieties, my worries, they lift just a bit. 0:17:30.556 --> 0:17:33.436 In bringing me to this graveyard, He's showing me that 0:17:33.676 --> 0:17:37.516 one of the antidotes to suffering is not trying to 0:17:37.516 --> 0:17:42.236 prevent it altogether. Instead, we can take the perspective of 0:17:42.276 --> 0:17:47.476 the universe. No matter what are suffering, it is impermanent. 0:17:48.596 --> 0:17:54.636 All suffering does eventually end. Not everyone finds comfort in 0:17:54.756 --> 0:17:58.116 feeling small and transient in the vastness of the universe, 0:17:59.116 --> 0:18:05.716 but I do. It takes the pressure off. I see 0:18:05.756 --> 0:18:08.596 that maybe the stakes aren't as high as my brain 0:18:08.716 --> 0:18:16.636 wants to believe. These thoughts fill me with calm. This 0:18:16.836 --> 0:18:40.436 walk with my dad is just what I need. Does 0:18:40.516 --> 0:18:46.116 this work for you? Knowing we are infinitesimally small can 0:18:46.196 --> 0:18:50.316 be very freeing, but it can also be a bit scary. 0:18:52.876 --> 0:18:58.756 For Maya, there is calm here? What is here for you? 0:19:36.516 --> 0:19:38.996 By the time Jimmy and I are married, he knows 0:19:39.036 --> 0:19:42.396 me so well. He knows of my deep desire to 0:19:42.476 --> 0:19:46.236 have children, but that the idea of their potential suffering 0:19:46.516 --> 0:19:50.116 brings me great anxiety. I'm not sure I'll have the 0:19:50.196 --> 0:19:54.036 courage to eventually become a mom. But Jimmy's love of 0:19:54.116 --> 0:20:04.236 life is infectious. He's not immobilized like I am by 0:20:04.236 --> 0:20:08.516 the idea that our children might suffer. I think, why 0:20:08.636 --> 0:20:14.156 create another unwilling traveler through life? Whereas he thinks, yes, 0:20:14.476 --> 0:20:17.796 we will all experience pain, that there can also be 0:20:17.956 --> 0:20:21.596 such joy in this life that it's well worth the risk. 0:20:22.916 --> 0:20:28.036 Over time, Jimmy slowly helps erode my fears, and because 0:20:28.036 --> 0:20:32.196 he understands how my mind works, together we figure out 0:20:32.236 --> 0:20:36.236 strategies to help me deal with my anxieties, including some 0:20:36.276 --> 0:20:39.116 of the methods my dad has taught me over the years, 0:20:40.196 --> 0:20:44.356 and so I find the courage to take the leap. 0:20:47.716 --> 0:20:50.796 Because of medical issues, Jimmy and I make embryos and 0:20:50.876 --> 0:20:54.156 we partner with a surrogate to carry the pregnancy. The 0:20:54.236 --> 0:20:59.476 whole process takes years, but one day we are finally 0:20:59.596 --> 0:21:06.196 peering at a blue line on a plastic stick. Our surrogate, Hailey, 0:21:06.436 --> 0:21:14.556 is pregnant. Six weeks in the pregnancy fails. For so long, 0:21:14.916 --> 0:21:19.196 motherhood has been this enormous presence in my life, first 0:21:19.236 --> 0:21:22.316 in my consuming fear of it, then in my pursuit 0:21:22.356 --> 0:21:28.996 of it and now in my grief. We end up 0:21:28.996 --> 0:21:32.396 trying again, and this time, at the six week mark, 0:21:32.716 --> 0:21:36.836 we're surprised to discover that Haley is carrying identical twins. 0:21:38.756 --> 0:21:43.356 Our single embryo has split in two. Jimmy and I 0:21:43.396 --> 0:21:48.196 are elated. Then, just a few hours after we see 0:21:48.196 --> 0:21:52.756 the images of these perfect little beating hearts, Haley starts bleeding. 0:21:53.876 --> 0:21:57.276 I know what's going to happen, and I can hardly 0:21:57.356 --> 0:22:06.196 bear it. Evening has fallen in the Bay Area. I've 0:22:06.236 --> 0:22:09.476 snuggled under the comforter and I'm staring at our white 0:22:09.476 --> 0:22:11.956 wall and the few books that lay on her dresser. 0:22:13.356 --> 0:22:17.756 Jimmy stands in the doorway may He says, his nickname 0:22:17.836 --> 0:22:22.436 for me, My, Let's list some things were grateful for. No, 0:22:22.996 --> 0:22:25.676 I really don't want to, I say, shaking my head. 0:22:26.396 --> 0:22:31.196 The idea of gratitude feels jarring in this moment. It'll 0:22:31.196 --> 0:22:34.076 be quick, he says, let's just name a few things 0:22:34.196 --> 0:22:39.076 were really thankful for. I sigh. I glance over at 0:22:39.156 --> 0:22:46.556 Jimmy's reassuring smile. He looks at me encouragingly. Okay, Number 0:22:46.556 --> 0:22:49.716 one on my list is Jimmy, and then I name 0:22:49.836 --> 0:22:54.476 some other things my six nieces and nephews, my family, 0:22:54.516 --> 0:22:57.636 and my best friends, and my morning cups of Chai, 0:22:58.036 --> 0:23:00.556 which bring me comfort and warmth and have become a 0:23:00.676 --> 0:23:04.836 ritual over the past few years. A podcast I love 0:23:04.916 --> 0:23:08.796 creating so much, which allows me to emotionally connect with 0:23:08.956 --> 0:23:12.716 us all over the world and mine wisdom from their stories. 0:23:14.116 --> 0:23:17.076 Even my exercise routine, which has kept me sane and 0:23:17.156 --> 0:23:21.276 happy through the pandemic. Jimmy invokes all of his warmth 0:23:21.356 --> 0:23:23.916 and channels my dad to remind me how in these 0:23:23.956 --> 0:23:29.036 critical moments, sometimes a slight shift in perspective, that little 0:23:29.036 --> 0:23:32.476 bit of distance is all I need. And what I 0:23:32.556 --> 0:23:35.956 learned from this gratitude exercise is that I had become 0:23:35.996 --> 0:23:39.196 so zeroed in on my quest from motherhood, I had 0:23:39.236 --> 0:23:43.316 lost sight of how otherwise rich and multidimensional my life is. 0:23:44.476 --> 0:23:47.236 Like all efforts to make ourselves feel better in the moment, 0:23:47.996 --> 0:23:51.636 this one's not perfect, but this meaningful shift in my 0:23:51.716 --> 0:23:54.796 perspective that my dad has been helping me to cultivate 0:23:54.876 --> 0:24:02.116 since childhood, it brings me some peace. It's similar to 0:24:02.156 --> 0:24:04.396 the relief I felt walking with my dad on that 0:24:04.476 --> 0:24:09.836 fall day nearly two decades ago. I back on those 0:24:09.876 --> 0:24:14.876 conversations in New Haven and in Chennai. The images are 0:24:14.916 --> 0:24:21.076 comforting When my life feels heavy, even a small change 0:24:21.076 --> 0:24:25.996 in perspective can help me to survive it. We're all 0:24:26.036 --> 0:25:09.356 just briefly and bravely traveling through this life. Thank you, Maya. 0:25:10.716 --> 0:25:13.796 Your story has me reflecting on the importance of subtle 0:25:13.876 --> 0:25:19.036 shifts of perspective in my own life. There are so 0:25:19.076 --> 0:25:21.916 many elements of Mayer's story that I could use as 0:25:21.916 --> 0:25:25.316 the runaway for our meditation together. So I'm going to 0:25:25.356 --> 0:25:30.636 be greedy and pick three, and we'll start by lightning 0:25:30.756 --> 0:25:43.436 our footprint, eyes open or closed. Know what it is 0:25:43.516 --> 0:25:50.156 to be light upon the earth. Nothing for us to do, 0:25:52.716 --> 0:26:07.596 our weight supported by the earth, the movements of our mind, 0:26:09.156 --> 0:26:26.596 the sensations of our bodies, fluid changing, light weight. We're 0:26:26.596 --> 0:26:34.396 aware of our experience as it's blown around, thoughts, sensations, 0:26:36.316 --> 0:26:51.676 like dandelion seeds on the breeze. Maya story is also 0:26:51.956 --> 0:26:57.756 about suffering. Suffering that is real and suffering that is imagined, 0:26:59.116 --> 0:27:02.596 and maybe a suffering that is a layering of the two. 0:27:04.996 --> 0:27:12.156 Things can be hard. There is everyday suffering, and there 0:27:12.276 --> 0:27:15.796 is the suffering you wouldn't even wish on your nemesis. 0:27:16.636 --> 0:27:21.916 It's what it is to be human. There's a universality 0:27:21.956 --> 0:27:28.196 to it, and a lightness, the knowledge that we all 0:27:28.236 --> 0:27:36.276 just stumble through somehow, billions of people, each the center 0:27:36.356 --> 0:27:40.676 of their own world, but not the center of the world. 0:27:43.316 --> 0:28:00.436 Eight billion dandelion seeds, all in a spaciousness. It's almost 0:28:00.516 --> 0:28:04.516 dandelion season here in Glasgow, Scotland, so we've seen the 0:28:04.556 --> 0:28:09.276 first here and there on our walks. We pick them 0:28:09.396 --> 0:28:13.076 up and with our breath send them out into the 0:28:13.116 --> 0:28:30.836 air to float, to be light. Each one a wish 0:28:30.916 --> 0:28:36.116 in the toughest of times. Jimmy points Meyer to gratitude. 0:28:37.356 --> 0:28:41.076 I wish I had his wisdom. So let's take his 0:28:41.156 --> 0:28:47.476 invitation ourselves to let's just do it. Let's just name 0:28:47.516 --> 0:28:52.676 a few things we're really grateful for. I'll start the 0:28:52.836 --> 0:29:01.956 long summer days. Disney plus, good running trainers, my wife, 0:29:01.996 --> 0:29:18.836 putting up with my cooking. Okay, your turn now. As 0:29:18.876 --> 0:29:22.556 Maya says, sometimes we become so zeroed in on the thing, 0:29:23.396 --> 0:29:25.756 so it can be helpful to remember that our lives 0:29:25.796 --> 0:29:31.276 are multi dimensional and full. You two can be more Jimmy, 0:29:32.116 --> 0:29:37.876 and remember that even in the difficult times, you two 0:29:38.196 --> 0:29:42.236 can be more Maya and practice it even when we 0:29:42.236 --> 0:29:50.196 don't want to. You two can be light, delicate upon 0:29:50.236 --> 0:30:19.196 the earth. Thank You, Maya and Thank You. Meditative Story 0:30:19.356 --> 0:30:23.716 is a Waite One original. Our executive producers are Derren Triff, 0:30:24.036 --> 0:30:29.916 June Cohen, and Rebecca Grierson. J Panjabi is our supervising producer. 0:30:30.676 --> 0:30:34.356 The series is produced by Dorothy Abrams. Original music and 0:30:34.436 --> 0:30:38.916 sound designed by Ryan Holiday. Our scriptwriters are Hannah Brentcher, 0:30:39.476 --> 0:30:44.956 Peter Keckley, Marie McCoy Thompson, and Florence Williams. Mixing and 0:30:45.036 --> 0:30:51.996 mastering by Brian Pugh. Special thanks to Emily McManus, Anna Pizino, 0:30:52.676 --> 0:31:00.316 Sarah Tarta, kelc Carpetano, Tim Cronin, Sammy Opouta, Leah, Sarah Mettis, 0:31:00.996 --> 0:31:07.396 Colin Howarth, chineme Is, Equena, Charlie Menezes, and Adam Heiner 0:31:09.156 --> 0:31:13.556 and i'm Rohan Gonnatilico, creator of the Budafi Meditation app, 0:31:13.796 --> 0:31:19.076 and your host. Visit meditativestory dot com to find the 0:31:19.116 --> 0:31:36.436 transcript for this episode.