"You’re perfect the way you are. And you can use a little improvement.”

~ Suzuki Roshi

Many of us tumble through life, edging away from the immediacy of reality. Swept into the momentum of doing, we lean ahead, drifting into the not-now. How easily we forget that much of what we seek is nestled in the here and now—the vivid fullness of this human life, the ever-arising opportunities to connect with life as it is and others as they are.

It’s so joyous when we remember. Practice, relying on nothing external, teaches us to remember. Even when life is unpleasant or chaotic, fullness and connection are possible. And when things are straight-up heartbreaking, we remember how much more painful it is to avoid pain—and how healing it can be to turn toward it.

We remember that the only moment in which peace can begin is this one.

The mindfulness teachings recognize that human struggle is rooted in a set of powerful misunderstandings embedded in the ecosystem of body, heart, and mind. While we may sense that something feels “off” in our state, mood, or thoughts—and even believe we know what the problem is—the inner landscape is often difficult to see clearly.

Yet the mind—and its awareness—is such a beautiful thing. We can cultivate the capacity to see clearly without interfering with our experience or trying to fix what we think is wrong. We don’t need a new and better thought or a more pleasant feeling.

We can unearth a pristine awareness that uproots the causes and conditions of suffering. Life becomes less about demands and expectations and more about curiosity, and about the spontaneity and creativity of our innate intelligence.

We become less certain and more available. This availability is a sacred doorway—a portal into awakening to our truer selves, where the difficulties of being human can be metabolized and the beauty and potential of being human can appear. This awakening, in turn, becomes a gift to others and to the world.