Life: A Combination of Little Things, Peace, & Human Rights (the post-practice Monday compilation with excerpts) September 21, 2026

“Chag sameach!” (“Happy Festival!”) and “Gemar chatimah tovah.” (“A good final sealing.”) to those observing Yom Kippur. Many blessings to everyone and especially those celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, a Marian feast day and/or living a life of friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom on the International Day of Peace & during International Week of Deaf People.

Stay safe! Live well! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.

This is the post-practice compilation post for Monday, September 21^st, with a series of links and excerpts. The 2026 prompt question was, “What is a little thing that made a big difference for you today?”

You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra         (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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“The key to getting the most out of any experience is preparation before the event. You cannot expect to leap from the shower to the shul and instantly feel holy. It just doesn’t work that way.”

— quoted from “Preparing for Rosh Hashana: The secret to an inspiring new year” by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

Today was Yom Kippur, the final day of the High Holidays; the eight day of Ganesh Chaturthi; the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (in some Orthodox Christian communities); the International Day of Peace; and the first day (in 2026) of International Week of Deaf People.

Since I hadn’t done so yet, I decided to focus on “little things”.

Click on the excerpt title below (or the links above) for more.

Let’s Focus on  “Little Things” (the “missing” compilation post for Wednesday)

Each year we do this theme, I highlight different “little things”. This year, we stuck to the basics: āsana (“seat” or pose) and prāṇāyāma (awareness of breath, extension of breath); and breathing “peace in / peace out”.

Keeping it simple makes it easy to remember.

“Do you remember
The 21^st night of September?
Love was changing the minds of pretenders
While chasing the clouds away”

— quoted from the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire (written by Allee Willis, Maurice White, Al Mckay)

Every day of our lives is full of “little things”. We might consider some in a positive light, some in a negative light, and some in a neutral light. On any given day we will experience little joys and blessings, as well as little promises kept. We will also experience little slights, insults, and injuries, as well as vows/oaths broken. There will also be things, obstacles, that we need to overcome.

Sometimes, all those little things are the same thing — just viewed from different perspectives. However, at the end of the day, all those little things come together to make a day — maybe even a night — that we will remember. That’s just life.

Walter Breuning, who was born today in 1896, lived through a lot of September 21^sts, and (by all accounts) there’s a good chance he remembered a lot of little things about them. Throughout the last decade (or so) of his life, people all over the world celebrated his longevity and looked to him for wisdom and the key to living a long life.

“Remember that life’s length is not measured by its hours and days, but by that which we have done therein. A useless life is short if it lasts a century. There are greater and better things in us all, if we would find them out. There will always be in this world—wrongs. No wrong is really successful. The day will come when light and truth and the just and the good shall be victorious and wrong as evil will be no more forever.”

— Walter Breuning (b. 09/21/1896), during his 113^th birthday celebration in 2009

Click on the excerpt below for more about Walter Breuning and other people born on the 21^st of September.

The [Ever-Changing] Adventure That is Your Life & EXCERPT: “Giving Flowers for Now & for Later” (the “missing” Sunday post)

“Today, amidst staggering volatility, the search for peace feels overwhelming—but it has never been more urgent.

Peace is more than the absence of war; it is the foundation necessary to collectively tackle humanity’s challenges. It is the lived experience of safety, dignity, opportunities and cooperation in our daily lives.

Under the theme Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day, this year’s International Day of Peace honours the ‘everyday architects of peace’—people driving local action, laying the groundwork for stability, and building a lasting peace from the ground up.

Remember, peace isn’t just built in conference rooms—it is shaped by everyone, everywhere, every day.

Everyone, everywhere can do their part for peace. Take one small step for peace every day…”

— quoted from the United Nations website for the International Day of Peace (2026 #InvestInPeace) 

There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHY I WANT YOU TO KISS SANDRA’S ASANA!

If you are struggling, thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is an app, which I have not researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or need a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

You’re Invited to Bend… & To Take The Deepest Breath You’ve Taken — On Retreat!

September 25 — 27, 2026

LIMITED SPACE FOR HOTEL DISCOUNTS!

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May You Have a Good Seal & Few Obstacles /
[May We All Declare] Deaf People’s Human Rights /
& “Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day”
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