Practicing Mindfulness and Compassion by The Path Meditation Teacher Training student Melissa Pelham

Melissa Pelham and her sweet pup

I wanted to share with you how impactful this week's challenge has been (our opportunity to put a "gap" between stimulus and response).

I have found this to really show up for me when I am dealing with customer service situations — both on the phone and in person. Having been in retail and customer service for over a decade, I am already pretty sensitive to what life is like on "that" side of the counter. It can be very very harsh, and it is truly the PERFECT place for mindfulness and compassion to be practiced. 

This past weekend I was at Best Buy making a purchase that required a lot of time and paperwork on the salesperson's end, and I was really aware of his efforts and really aware of my acknowledging them - silently, and out loud! I made it a point to thank him and to joke with him and to try to bring some lightness to his workday. Rather than complain or huff about the situation, I *paused* and was right there with him — and what a pleasant outcome came of it! I know many people are totally desensitized to sales people, and they become targets for their displaced anger... I have been on the receiving end of that. But my practice has shown me just how easy it is to redirect that energy into something that you CHOOSE, which is positive and uplifting.

As a result, I felt lightness enter my body. Like it was one big smile. 

Louise Hays taught a practice of sending love out to the places you were going to, and to the people you would be interacting with (ex: to the dentist office, and to the tech who would be cleaning your teeth)....it has a similar energy to what we are about to practice, sending loving friendliness to ourselves and zooming out to the world - I love this so much!!