relinquishing the "shoulds"

"The unawakened mind tends to make war against the way things are."

~Jack Kornfield

Just had a great lunch with Jerry -- I always dig hanging with him. One of the many things we talked about was the feeling of utter freedom we both have in our lives, and I think at least part of that feeling has to do with our acceptance of whatever's happening in the moment: that is to say, our unwillingness to rail against what's going on for the sake of a certain ideal or whatever.

That's a bit of a razor's edge to tread though, because it's not like we would advocate a totally passive approach to life in which we don't act rightly because it doesn't matter. There is a middle path that can be chosen that wends its way through the vicissitudes of life without exerting too much pressure to move in any particular direction at all. That's the path that I try to walk, for sure. The most purely natural path, the one of least resistance, the one which can be followed with no pressure or effort.

Once you get a handle on what that feels like, it feels totally natural to let that unfold into the rest of your life. Then you're not beating yourself up over anything, you're not anxious about anything, you're just living well, and living in peace. It's a beautiful state to be in. I try to hang out there at least 99% of the time. :)