Here are 3 quotes that I carry with me every day. They help me to keep things in perspective:

1. Maybe, maybe not.
2. Your will God, not mine.
3. Today may be the last day of my life.

Okay so that last one might sound a bit dramatic. Let me explain.

Maybe, maybe not

This quote is one that I read in a story which I am almost certain I read in The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. Also if the quote is not from this book, I apologize but I still recommend it! I love this book. It is touted as a spiritual classic and I can’t recommend it highly enough, for anyone of any religion. It is available as a free pdf. Here is the maybe, maybe not story, or the story of the Chinese farmer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig6MV5G1Hqk

Basically it says that anything that happens, we can’t really tell right away whether it is “good” or “bad”. The “good” things that happen in our lives can lead to something that might be “bad” or vice versa. It is sort of like the “blessings in disguise” theory. I wouldn’t have met some of my favorite people in life right now if it wasn’t for “bad” things in life (which we acknowledge to each other!)

This quote helps me take a step back from events in my life. It helps to put a little breathing room between myself and the event. It helps me let go. That gives God some room to step in. This leads me to my favorite quote number 2:

Your will God, not mine

In order to have any amount of peace and serenity in life, I have to align my will with my higher power’s. Otherwise, life is an endless struggle and no fun whatsoever. One way to interpret this is that I do what is in front of me to do, and however it turns out, that is not up to me, it’s up to God and is His will. That doesn’t mean I give up on my dreams. It just means that the results are out of my hands. It reminds me that I am not the one in control.

Today may be the last day of my life

Nothing is guaranteed to any of us. This is just a fact of life. Today is a precious gift that we are given. I’ve heard this idea before, as memento mori, the Latin for, “remember you must die.” This is not said in a depressing way, but to remind us to value the life we have been given. One of my other favorite books is Living and Dying with Confidence by Anyen Rinpoche. It’s written from a Buddhist perspective and has daily meditations. In chapter one, day 27, they say to remind yourself that morning that, “today may be the last day of my life.” Because it might. And then before bed, they recommend saying, “I may not awaken again tomorrow morning.” Again, this is not to be a sad type of exercise, but just a way of awakening to our mortality, and to not take a single day for granted. I know that I can slip into this attitude of taking things for granted, when there is so much I have to be grateful for that it isn’t even funny: Safety. A job. A roof over my head. Food. Family and friends. Two kids. A car. Access to healthcare. A walkable community. You get the idea.

What do you have to be grateful for today? 🙂

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