We all face praise and blame, joy and sorrow, gain and loss. To have compassion for your human vulnerability is a blessed, tender practice. Poet Alison Luterman calls her life a “wonderful failure.”
Feel the joy and sorrow that make up your incarnation. Yes, you want to protect yourself, but remember, your sorrow will teach you compassion. Your vulnerability will bring tenderness, and the renewal of each day will bring you joy. Appreciation of your wonderful, messy failures will bring you peace. Get comfortable in your own skin. Practice compassion for yourself. Care for the garden you have been given, accept it, tend it with love. Zen Master Suzuki Roshi summed it up, “You are perfect just the way you are. And there is still room for improvement.” Love yourself. This is the essence – Jack Kornfield
Leave a Reply