In “The Five Invitations” by Frank Ostaseski he writes, of the “3 poisons” described in Buddhist tradition. They are greed, hatred, and delusion. Or, said another way, demand, defense, and distract. We crave, we get angry and feel separate from others, and we ignore what we really need to see.

As we are mindful and sit in reflection of ourselves we can see how and when we are drawn to demand, defense, and distract. But this is what I love about living mindfully – there are no unrecoverable mistakes. Frank says, “The missteps we make as we demand, defend, and distract are also gateways to the innate beauty of our inner being”. When we stop rejecting ourselves and are open to all of the ways we react in the world and to others, we can even be grateful for our mistakes and limitations. They are as much a part of us as are our strengths. And we learn so much from our mistakes. When we can be with them, they deepen our compassion and empathy for ourselves and then for others and the world. May you move forward with mindfulness and acceptance today!