There is nothing else

It happens all too often: I count on one thing and get another. Wishful thinking rarely meets reality. One disappointment upon another. Not fair!

Suffering, we’re told, is integral to being human. The moment we’re born, the countdown begins. But in spite of evidence to the contrary, the scared animal within clings to the myth that life will go on and on. Get a good night’s sleep, wake up in the morning, and the sun will shine again.

Not necessarily so.

Pretty much the only thing I can count on right now is this breath, this pulse, this heartbeat. Try as I might, eating only vegetables, say, or being kind to strangers, nothing shields me from sickness, old age, and death. But – and here’s the good news – there is this moment. There’s a Zen teaching about the whole world being contained in a dew drop. Look no further: everything you need, deserve, and desire … is right here.