Sublime

Whenever we hear a conversation or witness an event, our attention can be appropriate or inappropriate. If we are mindful, we will recognize which it is, nurture appropriate attention, and release inappropriate attention, noting, “I am aware that this inappropriate attention will not benefit me or those I care about.”

For so many of us, feelings of deficiency are right around the corner. It doesn’t take much—just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work—to make us feel that we are not okay. As a friend of mine put it, “Feeling that something is wrong with me is the invisible and toxic gas I a

She nailed the method for applying mindfulness in acute situations, albeit with a somewhat dopey acronym: RAIN. R: recognize A: allow I: investigate N: non-identification

When we encounter the difficult ones like hurt or fear and acknowledge “this belongs,” there’s a natural sense of enlarging and more ease with what is moving through us.

I realized I didn’t have to lose my life in that same way that she did. Out of love—for my mother, for life—I resolved to hold myself with more acceptance and kindness.” We can each choose the same.

When we are caught in the trance of unworthiness, we do not clearly recognize what is happening inside us, nor do we feel kind.

The more quickly we become aware of our “no,” the better we can respond to Mara. The difficult situations that evoke a habitual “no”