Someone asked me, “Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?” I allowed myself to breathe and then I said, “What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help.”

Yes, there is tremendous suffering all over the world, but knowing this need not paralyze us. If we practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful sitting, and working in mindfulness, we can try our best to help.   Thich Naht Hanh

Now blue October, smoky in the sun,

Must end the long, sweet summer of the heart.

The last brief visit of the birds is done;

They sing the autumn songs before they part.

Listen, how lovely- there’s the thrush we heard

When June was small with roses, and the bending

Blossom of branches covered nest and bird,

Singing the summer in, summer unending-

Give me your hand once more before the night,

See how the meadows darken with the frost,

How fades the green that was the summer’s light.

Beauty is only altered, never lost,

And love, before the cold November rain,

Will make its summer in the heart again.

~Robert Nathan