Do You Hear the Songs of Life?
Hope interrupts fear
In his beautiful book The Five Invitations, end-of-life care expert and renowned Buddhist teacher Frank Ostaeski tells the story about the time he was walking with hospital staff down the sterile corridors of a massive hospital, surrounded by glass and steel, when suddenly a song started playing on the speaker.
Everyone stopped walking.
They paused.
And Brahm’s “Lullaby” serenaded them through the scratchy sound system.
“What’s that all about?” he asked one of the nurse’s accompanying him.
“Whenever a baby is born in the hospital, we play that song,” she responded.
“In the maternity ward?” he attempted to clarify.
“No,” she said. “Everywhere.”
This amazed him… It meant that in the administrative offices. In the operating rooms. In the morgue. In the patient rooms… Everywhere a song celebrating new life and signaling hope would interrupt a place that is filled with so much pain, fear, anxiety, sadness, and loss.
This is a beautiful image.
And it actually happens everyday.
If we pay attention, we will regularly witness signs of life breaking in to our weary world.
So even as you feel devastated or destabilized by political shifts or anything else, don’t stop noticing… Don’t stop listening for the songs of new life. Because every life-giving, hopeful, and generative thing is always worth celebrating. Amid the chaos, these songs of life signal hope, courage, and resilience, and they call forth the best of who we are for the days ahead—whatever they may hold.
Take a moment to meditate…
Press play, close your eyes, take a deep breathe, and spend a couple minutes reflecting on the signs of life all around you.
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I used to play that song in my girls nursery all the time on cassette. Simultaneously brings back such love for my babies and sadness. They are adult women now — and wonderful human beings, but I do miss my babies. 💕
what a beautiful image to imagine. Reminds me I also need to finally read that book! I’m holding space today to support folks in being with what they are experiencing post election and I plan to share this piece with them after our meeting.