Hope is the place where joy meets struggle.

"Hope is the place where joy meets struggle." ~Parker J. Palmer

I'm curious today if there is an area of your life that you're struggling with? 

Yeah, me, too. Who of us isn't having trouble in one area or another if not every day, but most days? What I'm finding in my life is that when I'm confronted by this struggle or obstacle - that my ability or resilience is greater every time (or most times depending on the depth of struggle!). When my ability to be less reactionary is increased and the time it takes for me to discern a better choice for myself and others... wow, that's winning! So in other words, a melt down I had just last week lasted only 30 minutes- where in the past, I might have carried the weight of that for days! Progress? I hope so.

I love what Nicolai Bachman writes: 

"How we choose to view anything, including something unpleasant, affects our relationship to it. Duhkha, literally, bad space, in yoga primarily means discomfort or suffering within our heart-mind or citta. By exercising keen discernment or viveka, before making a decision or engaging in action, we can minimize or avoid altogether any neagatitvy that may have resulted from choosing differently. When we do experience duhkha, we can try and understand what caused it and how to prevent it from happening again."

He also says: "Suffering offers insight into my deeply held patterns and conditioning."

My meditation for today is focused on not pushing away these challenges but in resting with them. Gleaming insight and hope.

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