“Giddy grasshopper \ Take care \ Do not leap and crush \ These pearls of dewdrop.”
– Kobayashi Issa
Be gentle with yourself. Show yourself patience. Handle yourself with kindness. The human heart is deep and tender, and it ought to be surrounded by love, even immersed in it. Let us take care to do this for each other, every day. Let us also not forget to do this for ourselves. Being human is not easy. This journey is not for the faint of heart. Every day that you make it through – perhaps having endured some sadness, hopefully having experienced some joy – is a good day, worthy of celebration. Well done! Don’t rush forward. Take it slowly. Tomorrow is another day, another chance to wake up, to take a deep breath, and to engage again with the deep, beautiful mystery of the universe.
“I’m just delighted to be living, to be able to have a simple conversation, to feel a ray of sunlight on my skin, to listen to the breeze move through the leaves of a tree.”
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”
– Lao Tzu
This is true. A good traveler also knows the direction they wish to go, and they continue to seek ways to keep themselves moving in that direction, each day.
On the one hand, our Good Traveler knows that the journey is the destination, and so they strive to remain present and grateful, each step of the way. On the other hand, they are also mindful and conscious in their choice of the direction they wish to go, and they continue to pursue this good and worthy aim with enthusiasm, clarity, and drive.
“Time unused still vanishes, as if time itself is starving, and each day is swallowed whole, leaving no crumbs.”
– Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Treasure each day. Every moment of life is a gift. Whenever you can, whatever you are doing, strive to look for something to appreciate, to enjoy, to feel wonder about, to be grateful for. Our lives are enriched by the quality of our mindful attention.
“If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. When you get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we experience every morsel of our food in that way, we become grateful; and when you are grateful, you are happy.”
“Stay present for yourself. Don’t give up. Getting through this place, this point, will turn your life around. Your spiritual growth has been profound. You’re about to walk through a door where you’ll see, touch, and know even more of life’s wonders. It’s your reward. Don’t stop now.”
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Confucius
It is healthy to approach whatever you are doing, in any given moment, with all of your energy and attention. This is what it means to be dedicated, to be engaged, to live life with passion and purpose. Do your very best, every day, and bring your entire self to whatever experience you are having, big or small, with the most optimism and joy that you can muster. This is the single best way to get the most out of life.
And then, if at times you feel like the results of your efforts have somehow failed to live up to some preconceived standard or another, it is just as important to simply be able to let this go. Tomorrow is another day. None of us is perfect. None of us even comes close. And even on top of this, we all have moments, days, weeks, even months, when we struggle even harder than usual with one thing or another. It is important, especially during these times, to be patient and kind with oneself. Show yourself the same love that you would want to show someone that you care deeply about: the love of accepting and appreciating yourself exactly how you are, right now, in this moment. Strive to be encouraging and supportive of your own Being, and to feel true gratitude for everything good in this moment. Doing this for yourself is vital to your own emotional, spiritual, and even physical health.
And, quite wonderfully, making this a practice – a structural, habitual feature of your own internal monologue – also helps one to develop and cultivate the empathy and compassion that it takes to be patient and kind with others, and to love them just as they are, in the same way. The bottom line is this: You do not have to be perfect to be perfectly worthy of love.
“My work is loving the world. Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work.. which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished. Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here.. Which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart.. and a mouth with which to give shouts of joy.. telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever.”
Embrace life with gratitude and joy. Seek beauty and goodness in every moment. The Tao of Happiness is not concerned with grasping at preconceived notions, but rather with finding the Flow, like water, and immersing oneself in it with enthusiasm and calm.
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