Life can become so complicated and filled by preferences and plans that we miss the actual experience of things as they are. We can go for a hike on a beautiful trail in the mountains and spend three-quarters of our time thinking about what we’re going to do when we get back.
We are so attached to our judgments and plans and ideas, as though we really knew what is going to happen. We might be able to make a fair guess, but we really don’t know. We don’t know who’s going to die today or who’s going to be born; whether we’ll get run over by a car or win the lottery. A great sense of tranquillity comes when we let go of the futile urge to control everything, and instead relate to each moment with openness and awareness. It is like the cool shade of a tree to a person previously affected by the sun ‘s heat.
Jack Kornfield
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