This Is The Life:

Mindfulness, Finding Grace and the Power of the Present Moment.

Before we trade in this life for the life we “should” have, let us taste this life.

I am convinced that it is not the fear of death, of our lives ending, that haunts our sleep so much as the fear that as far as the world is concerned, we might as well never have lived. Harold Kushner

It is easy to lose our sense of self in this world of hurry and distraction and anxiety.

This eCourse is for people who love this life.
And, for people who wish to love life, but who are temporarily stymied.
Captive to busyness, disappointment, anger, exhaustion, apathy, excess of caution, or even a good reputation.
What does it look like, to be glad to be alive and at home in our own skin?

If you wish to live fully alive, embrace the present, at home in your own skin, welcome to This Is The Life. You’re in the right place.

Before we decipher life, let us see life.
Before we wish for another life, let us feel this life.
Before we give in to “if only,” let us listen to this moment.
Before we succumb to “someday,” let us inhale this day.
Before we trade in this life for the life we “should” have, let us taste this life.
We are born to savor life, to live in the moment. What holds us back? When we stop the noise, the distraction, the compulsion to perform, the fear of rejection, we make space to savor the power of the present moment. We carry this capacity to honor the present into every encounter and relationship, meaning that we honor the dignity that is reflected by God’s goodness and grace. Every encounter, every relationship, is a place to include, invite mercy, encourage, receive, heal, reconcile, repair, say thank you, pray, celebrate, refuel, and restore.
This eCourse is an invitation to practice, to savor, the sacred present.
We are called to be available. To be curious. To be alive. To be willing to be surprised by joy. To know there is power in the word enough.
So… “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Dancing with Manatees

In this eCourse we will…

This is the life: mindfulness, finding grace and the power of the present moment.
In this eCourse we will…
See with new eyes, savor the sacred in the ordinary.
Pay attention to all my senses, and touch moments of grace.
Embrace this sacrament of the present moment, receive these gifts of grace.
Choose a narrative of sufficiency not scarcity, knowing that we are part of what is sacred.
Live unafraid of life’s untidiness (sadness or grief), enjoying the permission to live at home in our own skin.
Enjoy the permission to play, and not apologize.
Allow gratitude to be our script, and not give in to “if only” or the temptation for perfection.

How the Course Works

Through our online course portal and during live calls, we will share reflections, practices, conversations, and photos with fellow journeyers. You can complete each module at your own pace.

You will have an opportunity to learn, to befriend your hurried self and to live your days fully alive and wholehearted, finding, creating and embracing sanctuary.

And, I will be present with you throughout the course as a part of the ongoing conversation and the communication thread.

JOIN US AND BEGIN THE JOURNEY NOW

Sessions overview

Session One—We Are Born to Savor
What if we allow ourselves to embrace the moment as a child?
What if we give ourselves the permission to be surprised by joy?

Session Two—We Are Wired to Be Present; We Are Wired to Dance
This is a paradigm change. Living in the present moment is not about the correct program we add to our life. It is in our DNA to celebrate, savor and share the present.

Session Three—Savoring Is the Portal; Gratitude Is the Fuel
What does it mean to let go of our need to control or orchestrate the moment?
What does it mean to simply accept the gifts of joy and delight and gladness and enchantment without the need to explain or justify?

Session Four—We Are Present, Messiness, Obstacles, and All
Let us learn to rip up our script that life has to be neat and tidy.
Can we learn to see with new eyes, that the sacred if alive and well even in the untidy?

Session Five—What Blocks Our Light? (A look at diversion, “if only” and perfection syndrome
We learn to be honest about the ways that we block and prevent savoring.
What diversions keep us focused anywhere other than the present moment?
Where have we learned and honed these messages of “if only” and the expectation to be perfect?

Session Six—Today I Honor…
To honor means to weigh heavy. It is behavioral.
This is not about a belief or dogma or statement of faith.
This is about the permission to make choices, meaning that we are not a victim or at the mercy of.

Session Seven—Welcome the Power of Sufficiency and Know the Power of Enough
Where did we receive messages about not or never enough?
How are those messages internalized?
What difference would it make if we could start our day knowing that we are enough, that we gave give and chose and risk and relate from a place of abundance?

Session Eight—Embrace Epiphanies, Willing to Be Surprised
We need the permission to take delight.
The permission to be giddy.
The permission to laugh from the gut.
The permission to be enchanted.

Session Nine—Live Undefended; Live without Fear
It’s not easy to let go of all the ways we keep ourselves defended or protected.
So that life doesn’t hurt or disappoint us.
What would happen, if for one day, we put down the swords and shields we carry?

Session Ten—Relish the Sacred in the Ordinary and Walk One Another Home
What power there would be, if in any encounter or conversation or meeting or experience we could say, “We are on holy ground here”. This Is The Life… the sacrament of the sacred present.

START THIS IS YOUR LIFE NOW

Praise for This Is The Life

One of my favorite movie lines is Jack Nicholson’s ‘You make me want to be a better man.’ Every time I read Terry Hershey, every time I hear him speak, yes and in the times we have toasted our lives as friends, he has opened my ears and heart to the song of my better angels. In a world and culture questing and competing for “the good life”, there are few sign posts along the way pointing us to what that life would be. Hershey knows. And Hershey teaches. And it is not a list or mantra or even a secret. It is a story. This collection of elegant essays will make you want to sit for a while, take deep breaths and listen to angels sing. Ed Kilbourne

Terry Hershey continues to remind me that life is a gift of grace and he gives encouragement and permission to celebrate this one life I have. He calls me to gratitude and urges me to relish the gifts that surround me. His conversational style and easy manner is a pleasure to enjoy. Kent Bohls

About Terry Hershey

Terry Hershey is an author, humorist, inspirational speaker, dad, ordained minister, golf addict, and smitten by French wine. He divides his time between designing sanctuary gardens and sharing his practice of “pausing” and “sanctuary,” to help us do less and live more. Terry’s book, This Is The Life, offers the permission to slow down and to be gentle with ourselves, in a world that demands More-Bigger-Faster. Most days, you can find Terry out in his garden–on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound—because he believes that there is something fundamentally spiritual about dirt under your fingernails.

You can start This Is The Life now.

I’m here to support you on this journey and look forward to seeing you embrace This Life.

THIS IS THE LIFE NOW