Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about our shared human journey. Often, I think we can get so caught up in our own problems, plans, and daily routines that we forget the fact that we are just one of over 7 billion people sharing this planet and sharing our brief and precious lifespan here together. We all experienced times of loss, disappointment, and heartache on this journey, as well as moments of happiness, success and connection. None of us wants to suffer, but every single one of us does sometimes.

And we all want to be safe and feel loved. We all struggle with our mind sometimes. We're all here sharing this human life, sharing this earth together, and we belong to each other as part of the human family. So I think we all have some moments in our life where we suddenly feel more connected to this reality. You know, where we know that we're part of something much greater than ourselves and where we know that all of our lives are so fragile, fleeting and precious.

And in those moments, the feeling of separation between each other tends to fade. And we're left with a deep sense of appreciation and connection. Yet those moments only tend to come along every now and then. And when they do, they also tend to subside fairly quickly. So I think it's important to keep reminding ourselves of the bigger picture of life that we're all a part of.

And through mindfulness, we do train the mind in this way to stay more in touch with that bigger picture, that sense of interconnectedness with others. And in this way, not only do we have a greater sense of empathy for others and connection with them, but we also have more appreciation for every precious moment of our own lives. So we're going to continue this theme in today's meditation. But also as you go about your life today, just taking a pause to remember every now and then that we're just one of many on this shared human journey, and we're all in this together. As always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.

And let's settle in now for today's meditation.