A Few Encouraging Words

“Happiness is deeper than just having a good time. It speaks to a type of resiliency, an ability to recover from setbacks.” Sharon Salzberg

A constant joy and source of my resilience, throughout my entire life, is reading a few good words everyday. Once again I get to thank my Mother for this gift. From my youngest years she would be writing out little quotations of encouraging words and passing them on to my sister and me. I sometimes wonder if it is the words themselves that help us or the thoughtfulness of the messengers, who cared enough to pass them on. I suppose it is both. The support of others, cannot be overstated in our lives.

And what about the writer of the original words. Did the author even imagine when they wrote out words on a scrap of paper, that those words might inspire a human born in a different country, who may speak a different language.

We all need encouraging words from time to time and even when we don’t get them, we can be the person to give them. The giving part is under our control. And surprisingly, perhaps, when we give them to another it helps us to endure what needs to be endured.

Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don’t know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don’t know.”

― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

At this moment I am sitting at my desk, next to an open window. A gentle breeze is blowing. Birds are chirping. When I turn my head all I see are the beautiful branches of green leaves, on an ancient tree, giving shade.

This week, a friend much younger than me, suddenly died. A new baby was born, sister to my grandson’s friend. Overwhelming sorrow. Unbelievable joy. Both keep arriving. Tears and laughter keep us awake. So much pain and so much happiness. Everything can change in a second.

Life is messy and difficult and glorious. Don’t miss it. Pay attention. Start again. Pick your battles. Mend your fences. Be kind. Keep an open mind. And take care of each other. Oh yes, have fun.

There is no time other than now. We are not, contrary to what we think, “going” anywhere. It will never be more rich in some other moment than in this one. Although we may imagine that some future moment will be more pleasant, or less, than this one, we can’t really know. But whatever the future brings, it will not be what you expect, or what you think, and when it comes, it will be NOW too. It too will be a moment that can be very easily missed, just as easily missed as this one.

From Arriving at your own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness. Jon Kabat Zinn