it is what it is.

Because it is.

That’s why.

This is the life you were given.

It has meaning simply because it exists.

Don’t run from it.

Face it.

Face the ugly parts,

the beautiful parts,

and especially the parts

that are beautiful and ugly at the same time.

Don’t try to reason with it.

Life does what it wants.

It won’t ask for your opinion,

and worrying won’t alter its course.

Life chooses us.

Our own choice lies in response, not in circumstance.

There is comfort in realizing you don’t have to orchestrate it all.

Given time, most things take care of themselves.

When we feel we have been denied something,

we miss what we have been given.

Honor:

the wound, not the victimhood;

the emotions, not the drama;

the pain, not the resistance to it.

Your coordinates in time and space are merely a starting point.

More important than what you make of it

is how you allow it to move you;

what you allow to bridge the gap

between form and possibility.

off to work (note to self)

I will try not to think about the hours

or count down the minutes.

If I need a rest, I will take one, whether it’s an actual break, a deep breath, or a gesture of

self-compassion.

If I need stimulation, I will seek it in a healthy way in the moment.

If I get bored, I will remember that it is my responsibility to engage an element of

interest.

If I encounter a challenge, I will trust myself and have confidence that I can handle it,

step by step.

If I want the day to be over already, I will bring my attention deeply into acceptance of

the present moment.

If the present moment contains discomfort, I will hold it and be with it rather than

push it away.