There are so many things in life that are painful to carry—from global warming to chronic illness to the world’s many injustices—and so few rules about how it can be done with grace. Breathe. Open your arms wide. Ask a friend for help.
What helps you to lift your greatest burdens?
Sure, no one has the right to tell you to smile if you don’t feel like it. But don’t think you have to hide your braces or your false teeth or your tooth gaps or your goofiness even when there isn’t really that much to smile about. It’s OK. We’re happy to see you grin.
What makes you smile?
“Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, reveling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.”
―Bell Hooks
How has choosing risk helped you to find meaningful community?
You could pull a chair off the stack and try to find a place to balance it on the rocky ground. Or you could just seat yourself on a conveniently located boulder and rest in the way that things already are.
Where will you find a place of rest today?
Penguins manage to be happy, even surrounded by nothing but sand and ice and sky. Of course, to a penguin, a rock is a really lovely gift. It’s easier to be happy when your wants are few.
What is the tiniest thing that has made you happy?
