Life always gives us
exactly the teacher we need
at every moment.
This includes every mosquito,
every misfortune,
every red light,
every traffic jam,
every obnoxious supervisor (or employee),
every illness, every loss,
every moment of joy or depression,
every addiction,
every piece of garbage,
every breath.
Every moment is the guru.
(Charlotte Joko Beck)
It’s been a rough news cycle. I’m fidgeting watching the price on the gas pump rise, and I’m shaking my head comparing the number on the register to the items in my grocery cart. The other night, after soaking up some doomsday media vibes, I climbed into bed and with all the tact of a toddler said to my wife, “I hope our kids grow up in a functional world.”
And then there is Beck’s poem. I pinned it to my office bulletin board, right next to the emergency numbers. I don’t want to forget what is so easy to overlook. That better world I’m dreaming of isn’t out there. There is no utopia free of suffering. This does not mean I should throw up my hands and say, “What’s the point?” It means I need to get to work and try to learn the lessons that challenge me.
You have caught the cold that is going around. You cannot complain it away. You have to take care of your body and show it compassion.
You are disappointed with your distracting screen time. Do not beat yourself up about it. See that your devices are designed to trap you, and you want to be free and set a good example for your kids.
You feel like there is too much to do. Who is holding the imaginary gun to your head? Who cares if you do all these things? When has trying to do it all ever served you or anyone well?
For a long time, I’ve had a strange fascination with pockets. I’ve said that leadership should fit in your pocket, I wax poetic about shorts without pockets, I don’t understand jacket pockets that aren’t designed for putting your hands into, and one of my favorite quotes is about finding what you have been looking for in your pocket:
The moment of awakening is marked by an outburst of laughter. But this is not the laughter of someone who suddenly acquires a great fortune; neither is it the laughter of one who has won a victory. It is, rather, the laughter of one who, after having painfully searched for something for a long time, finds it one morning in the pocket of his coat. (Thich Nhat Hanh, 1995)
If you find yourself in my office, you’ll see a little slip of paper taped up by the door that says “check your pocket.” It’s not for you, though I’m still waiting for someone to give it a funny look. It is there to remind me, before I tear off in a vain effort to be a hero, that peace is here.
What is my point for you today? Just this: in these moments when we are flabbergasted, startled, confused, upset, aghast, terrified, saddened, we are being presented with the lessons we need to learn so that we can wake up and realize a life with less suffering.
Today’s tests of wrath, incivility, corruption, greed, carelessness...these are not lessons to be ignored or avoided. This is the stuff that requires attention and a skillful response.
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