Stick to what you do best

Like me, Buddhist monks start their day early, in my street. 

"Stick to what you do best" were the words of advice, given to me, last week, by a trusted and gifted work colleague.  As I reflected on her words, regarding work practice, I applied them to everyday life and got this - Let us appreciate how much good is present in our lives".  

This past week, I was listening to a refugee, updating me on his family.  I have known him so long.  Life is tough.  I know that, but I had to stop him and remind him that it is not all bad, that life is better now than it had been over the last year, thanks to the onslaught of a pandemic, which had hit his family in more ways than one.  Too often, we are too readily overcome by the bad, the negative.  

There is so much good happening in our lives, which we too often cannot see for the immediate pitfalls and injustices staring us in the face.  Let us go beyond that immediate stare to focus on the wider context.  As Julian of Norwich said, neither unwittingly nor lightly, "All shall be well!"  And it will be.