I am STILL reading Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron. I emphasize 'still' because it is the book my Buddhist mom's group began reading this summer. Around here, 3 kids in new schools, a running toddler, and a move to a new house slowed my pace for other things considerably. So, I am STILL reading it. And actually, that is explanation enough for why I am focusing on this as my mantra:
There are no interruptions
I say that as I exhale when it seems like my whole life is an interruption. Parents of small kids know that feeling well. But this applies to larger issues too - a job loss, a divorce, a sudden expensive repair to a home. When we think of everything as an interruption to our otherwise peaceful existence, we forget that ALL of life is our opportunity to practice, to learn, and to grow. So that little knee jerk impulse to react with irritation when we are 'interrupted' in small and large ways, should be tempered. As difficult as it can be to see, it is when we are challenged that we have the most intense opportunities to practice compassion, peace, balance, and love.
Nothing that happens is an interruption. ALL of it is life.
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