In a basic way, acceptance is seeing clearly what's happening and holding it with kindness. This is a radical antidote to the suffering of judging mind.

Stories can be a jumping-off point to access the emotions and the sensations in the body.

The renowned seventh-century Zen master Seng-tsan taught that true freedom is being "without anxiety about imperfection.

What would it be like if, right in the midst of this busyness, we were to consciously take our hands off the controls? What if we were to intentionally stop our mental computations and our rushing around and, for a minute or two, simply pause and notice our inner experience?

When you are in touch with your body and heart, it allows you to then be in the world and act with intention and clarity and kindness.

I think it's possible to have experiences of love without attachment, but I think part of our conditioning is to grasp at times, especially when there are unmet needs. It's part of our nervous system to hold on to where we think those needs will be met.

When we put down ideas of what life should be like, we are free to wholeheartedly say yes to our life as it is.