Hit of Hope

Betsy Johnson hails from a small town in southwestern Minnesota, and her meditations have been downloaded over 100,000 times on the Insight Timer app. She is a writer, professor, and yoga teacher who talks to trees and believes the blue eggs from her local food co-op are magic.

"In short, plain-spoken meditations based on her experiences with suffering and the teachings and practice of yoga and Buddhism, Betsy Johnson offers a series of much-needed balms for those suffering from personal and societal wounds—which, in these times, is all of us. With its emphasis on breathing deeply and being still, this is a book to read slowly, mindfully, and with an openness to all life offers."Michael N. McGregor, author of Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax

• ContentsIntroduction xiPart One: The Way It IsTrying to be perfect is a kind of hell 2Most of us would rather have a root canal 4Notice when your flaws are in play 6Life will give you cliffs . . . and strawberries 8Part Two: Like/AsThis isn’t a perfect metaphor 12Like Don Quixote, know adventure awaits 14Consider the boulder 16What if you invited more weeds and wild into your life? 18Your chance to dance in dead leaves 20Be as still as a wide-open prairie 22Consider the acorn 24  Peace—like lasagna—doesn’t just happen 26If you have a mountain in your life, put on a sturdy pair of shoes 28Even creatures with wings sometimes scream as they wheel in the bluest sky 30A door asks you to live somewhere between 32Part Three: Dead EndsDon’t give me the pat answer 36The world wants you to hide what is weird 38Can you quit trying to make a U-turn? 40You can live on autopilot 42Just don’t let them drive the bus 44Part Four: My (Tougher) AdviceHave a seat 48Eyes on your own mat 50Decide now to be a bad ass with a big heart 52Begin again and fail better 54Cherish your scars 56Stoke your inner fire 58Remember the wondrous space 60Board by board, nail by nail 62  Dammit, this matters. Trust me. 66Do not ruin the good with “what if ” 68There is no magic wand 70Part Five: My (Gentler) AdviceYou don’t have to do another damn thing 74Or you can let go of the things that weigh you down 76Encourage what is good 78Perhaps, you could consider living the gentler verbs 80A practice of endurance 82And if something is big, give it time 84And if you can’t live with the uncertainty 86Remember, pretty flowers come from shit 90Encore yourself with joy, baby 92In this new space, see what is 94You deserve to be looked at with love and grace 96Part Six: What You’ve Done/Are Doing/Will DoWhat deserves your attention? 100Can you tell when you are growing prickly? 102And it might have been horrible, harrowing, but you have survived 104  Maybe it is a good time to surrender 106You are bigger than your thinks 108You have already done so much 110You have a light inside 112This is not the end of your story 114