When we learn to face the fear we habitually avoid, we begin to awaken from a trance. By pausing and accepting our experience, we free ourselves to respond to our circumstances
in ways that bring genuine peace and happiness.
In a pause, we simply discontinue whatever we are doing.
We become wholly present, attentive
and, often, physically still.
Try it now: Stop reading and sit there,
doing "no thing," and
simply notice what you experience.
Taking our hands off the controls and pausing
lets us clearly see the wants and fears that drive us.
We become conscious of how the feeling
that something is missing or wrong
keeps us leaning into the future.
We can continue our futile attempt to manage our experience,
or we can meet our vulnerability
with the wisdom of what I call "radical acceptance."
Tara Brach
