Expensive hotel rooms and bouquets of flowers were no substitute for watching the stars blink on and the sun and moon rise. Kind people in book lines did not keep me from missing my friends. To feel truly alive, I needed the sights, sounds, and smells of home.

good people act on behalf of others and that the most satisfying work is devoting oneself to a great cause.

What had saved me was stopping the struggle.

realized that no children get everything they want.

There is nothing like lying on the ground to ground us. We feel the earth beneath us and look at the sky above. We are no longer a small individual being but are connected to the great suchness of the universe.

always have the choice to behave well, no matter the circumstance.

What could save me was loosening my grip and surrendering to the situation I could not change.

I was accepting impermanence and moving in gratitude for what was present.

No matter our circumstances, with effort, we can learn to control our attention. We can accept responsibility for our own happiness and look inside ourselves for the light we can always find. As a flourishing friend told me, “I have everything I need to be happy right between my ears.”