picture—renunciation of the hope that our experience could be different, renunciation of the hope that we could be better.

Be honest. Your own life experiences have been far from ideal. But what you have experienced is what is real, not what you would like to experience. In short, the nature of reality is this: Life includes pain and adversity. The future is uncertain. Accomplishment of any kind requires discipline. You are not special. No matter what you do, you

“What's there is there.”