Speaker 1: Stay Calm is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome
Speaker 1: to Stay Calm, your daily dose of calmness. I'm Bob Roth,
Speaker 1: and I've been teaching people to meditate for fifty years,
Speaker 1: helping them to stay calm under pressure, reboot and re
Speaker 1: energize their lives, and basically be a happier, healthier version
Speaker 1: of themselves. And now I want to help you do
Speaker 1: the same. Ready, sit comfortably, take a few deep breaths,
Speaker 1: and let's begin today's journey. When eating fruit, remember the
Speaker 1: one who planted the tree. This lovely ancient proverb from
Speaker 1: Vietnam reminds us about something we already know, the importance
Speaker 1: of feeling gratitude for the good people and the good
Speaker 1: fortune in our lives, no matter how large or small.
Speaker 1: We are living in uncertain and unsettling times, and to
Speaker 1: survive and to thrive we do need calm, rngth, conviction, intelligence, resilience,
Speaker 1: and I believe we need gratitude because no one does
Speaker 1: this alone. Hopefully, there are in all of our lives
Speaker 1: ordinary and extraordinary blessings that we must never fail to
Speaker 1: appreciate and embrace. Maybe we have children or grandchildren, or
Speaker 1: parents or grandparents or a beloved dog or cat who
Speaker 1: need our love and attention, or we have a job
Speaker 1: that demands our passion and persistence. Or perhaps we've had
Speaker 1: people in our life in the past, or we have
Speaker 1: them today for whom we are deeply grateful, people who
Speaker 1: were there for us when times got tough, times when
Speaker 1: we needed to talk to someone, and we're just hearing
Speaker 1: their voice, just hearing the pure happiness in their hello
Speaker 1: on the phone was enough to lift our spirits, as
Speaker 1: I have done in the past. I want to share
Speaker 1: with you some of my favorite words and poems from
Speaker 1: people I admire so much about gratitude, about resilience, and
Speaker 1: about the inner light of every human being. Albert Schweitzer
Speaker 1: was an extraordinary human being, medical doctor and surgeon, author,
Speaker 1: Man of the Cloth, and winner of the Nobel Peace
Speaker 1: Prize in nineteen fifty two. I love his quote on gratitude.
Speaker 1: I repeat it all the time. At times our own
Speaker 1: light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from
Speaker 1: another person. Each of us has cause to think with
Speaker 1: deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Speaker 1: One underlying message of gratitude is that we should appreciate
Speaker 1: whatever gift comes our way, be it grand or modest.
Speaker 1: Happiness comes from the acceptance. As the Buddhist proverb advises,
Speaker 1: enough is a feast. When I grew up, my parents
Speaker 1: used to tell me that the best way to give
Speaker 1: is to give without any ex affectations of a thank
Speaker 1: you in return. The Persian poet have Fees expresses this
Speaker 1: joy in these few short words. Even after all this time,
Speaker 1: the sun never says to the earth, you owe me.
Speaker 1: Look what happens with a love like that? It lights
Speaker 1: the whole sky. And finally, as we've always been told,
Speaker 1: true happiness lies within, And the greatest gift we can
Speaker 1: give to anyone is the gift we can give to ourselves,
Speaker 1: the gift of a few minutes of time to access
Speaker 1: the unbounded energy, power, joy, love, and wisdom that lies
Speaker 1: deep within each of us, no matter our age, nationality, religion, race, gender,
Speaker 1: or economic status. And the beauty of that inner is
Speaker 1: that we can access it no matter how much chaos
Speaker 1: and confusion surrounds us. And what is that inner like?
Speaker 1: From psychiatrist Elizabeth Coobler Ross, who authored the seminal book
Speaker 1: on Death and Dying, we learn people are like stained
Speaker 1: glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
Speaker 1: but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is only
Speaker 1: revealed if there's a light from within. I like to
Speaker 1: conclude my time with you with thirty seconds of gratitude.
Speaker 1: Thirty seconds for you to appreciate someone or something of
Speaker 1: deep value. But today, considering everything that's going on in
Speaker 1: the world, let's take a full minute. It could be
Speaker 1: the best one minute of your day. All right, thank
Speaker 1: you for joining me today. I hope you heard something
Speaker 1: that inspires, that uplifts you and that you can incorporate
Speaker 1: into your own life. This is Bob Roth. Stay calm, hey,
Speaker 1: all of you out there. I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your stories, your questions, or anything
Speaker 1: else on your mind. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Speaker 1: Facebook or Instagram at meditation Bob. You can also send
Speaker 1: me an email at meditation Bob Roth at gmail dot com.
Speaker 1: I look forward to hearing from you.