Acceptance - all the way

It is a state of peace to be able to accept things as they are. This is to be at home in our own lives.
-- Sharon Salzberg

Today I want to offer you another passage from Precious Solitude by Ruth Fishel. I really think that everyone knows deep down that the way to peace and happiness is acceptance. But our culture which teaches us to grasp for what we want also teaches us resistance to this great truth. So we need all the reminders we can get. Here's another one:

Happiness and peace of mind don't have to be dependent on outside conditions. For example, a mother with young children finds less opportunities to take time for herself than someone who is retired. That's just the way it is. Unless you have a great deal of help, you probably have very little time for yourself. This is the simple truth of where you are in your life right now. The more you resist this and resent your reality, the more you suffer.

Perhaps you're older and living in a nursing home, or with a relative, where you must adhere to other people's schedules and rules. You might have more time than you want to yourself. Perhaps there are new situations over which you are powerless, such as your health, or when and what you eat. The more we resist and resent this reality, the more we suffer.

The secret is the same, no matter where we are in our lives. How can we accept that where and what we are doing is exactly where we need to be at this particular time in our lives? By taking our own quiet time, we can build within us the inner serenity that allows us to find a measure of peace, whatever our circumstances.

Remember, we will know what to do with that quiet time by being diligent in our meditative practice. When meditation has become a habit, we always know what to do with extra time and we also know how to be mindful when it seems as if we have no time.