The Book of Awakening, Mark Nepo

Contributor: Michelle Smeby

Every time I pick it up, The Book of Awakening inspires me to be more peaceful, more loving, more thoughtful, and more kind to myself and to everyone around me.

During a day-long retreat dedicated to interfaith mindfulness in April, 2006, Brother Chi Singh, a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, defined the word repent as “to choose again.” I truly like this definition: instead of reviewing previous choices we have made in our lives and having guilt over them, we, of all faiths, can choose today to start fresh. Each day is a brand new day, full of infinite possibilities.

For each day of the year, Mark Nepo has crafted a story from his personal experiences to inspire us to look at ourselves and our attitudes toward the world around us in a different way. Each day’s thought ends with a meditation and an encouragement to question those patterns we have created in our lives, and allows us to ask if we truly value the way things are. Mark Nepo motivates us to question who we want to become, and invites us to embrace the freedom of being able to choose anew.

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