So the phrase read this morning was “what is right or wrong is not the issue.”  That is, whether you are wrong and I am right is not what this journey is all about.  This reminds me of the saying, “Would you rather be right or happy?”  Which addicts like me figure is a trick question–the inner monkey voice says “you can only be happy if everyone knows you’re right!.”

But accepting things as they are–not as I’d like them–turns out to be the practice by which I find peace.  My chant is often “set aside for peace of mind”–over and over again, reminding me to set down my bone of contention and rest in the moment as it is.  It is my meditative practice to remember that life is not meant to be as I want it, but as I surf it.

When I accept the present of the moment, not reacting, I can respond with integrity.

Yeah, and (the nagging voice says inside me) a brown paper bag will carry my lunch.  HA!  That’s what practice is all about.  I doubt if I get to a concert hall, but peace is just around the corner.