August 22, 2015

Teachers of mindfulness talk about leaning into the sharp points or going one step farther than is comfortable—one step into the discomfort, past the edge you’ve constructed as the safety zone.

Something that aging has given me beyond wrinkles and droops is the awareness that I don’t have the means or the time to lean into every sharp point.  And I don’t think it’s necessary.  Frequently, leaning into one of them, say taking a risk in being honest in a relationship, can have a surprising and far-reaching impact on all my relationships.

I think age has also given me the courage to lean into more of the sharp points than I ever imagined I could or would. But there are still some I just don’t seem able to lean into, and some I see no point in leaning into at all. So my advice is go gently. No need to lean in to the point where you draw blood—that’s not very friendly.

I’ve decided that the sharp points I will lean into are the ones that by avoiding them, my life is less than it might be.  Life’s too short to do anything, even by omission, that can make it less than it might be.

Much love,