Sometimes people imagine that spiritual maturity means appearing calm and untouched by suffering, a performance of equanimity. But true equanimity is not emotional anesthesia. Equanimity is the capacity to include everything into our experience without being hijacked by what we are encountering. Equanimity allows us to feel grief, fear, and anger without being suffocated by their grip. It lets us respond instead of react. And it is true, equanimity does not erase suffering, but it gives us the strength to come alongside it.

~Roshi Joan Halifax

can it be this clear?

inquiry for today~ what will you see?

suddenly I see….

A small brightness glows within me,

unwavering, guarded and true.

It warms my intentions

and softly shapes the way

I step into this day.

Something in me feels freshly awake,

as if the morning has opened

a window I had forgotten was there.

I meet the hours with hope,

curiosity, and an open heart.

And I let what is silently alive in me

find its way into the world.

Today, I finally allow

my inner light to be seen.

~Omar Yilmaz