I’ve recently had the most wonderful series of days. Brunch at a colleague’s new home, an afternoon at a friend’s lovely winery, and a week on the water with my marvelous husband.
During times like this, I am particularly mindful of and moved by how blessed I am and how good life is.
Fortunately, I am often inspired by life on ‘normal’ days as well. My healing salve has always been to rush out into nature and gratitude, rather than in toward frustration and despair. Both are coping mechanisms, and I’m glad that my particular brand encourages me to lean into life with thanks and wonder.
To accept rather than resist. To allow rather than struggle.
In Taoism, this principle is called wu wei, which Alan Watts suggests most aptly translates to ‘not forcing.’
Wu wei offers that to have a great life, to experience the goodness of life, we don’t need to have perfect circumstances. But rather, that we must begin by accepting life. To not force or fight what is. To allow life and ourselves to be– exactly as it is, exactly as we are.
And that in that state of presence and allowing, we might come to embrace life.
We might even, in time, come to celebrate it.
No matter where we fall on the scale of optimistic to pessimistic, confident to insecure, or celebratory to cynical– no matter where we are on the journey of life– true peace, and power, begin with acceptance.
Not because life or we are perfect. Not because we don’t long to create and embrace change. But because there is always an opportunity– in whatever moment in which we find ourselves– to pause, breathe, and allow in the magnitude of the marvelous in our lives. Whether big or small, whether lasting or fleeting.
In that gaze, in that moment, we will see– we can always see– that there is hope. That we have resources. That there is good.
That life is good.
