When my daughter was much younger, she came racing up the stairs.

With tear-stained cheeks and a puffy red face, she cried “He hit me back!!”

As I remember, it was some scuffle over a favorite toy. Though, more importantly, it was her first introduction to the theory of ’cause and effect.’

“What you put out there, always comes back to you,” my Mother would say. And, do you know – she was right every single time.

Think of yourself in a recent moment, where things didn’t go quite so well. Perhaps it was a moment of anger or disgust. Or, maybe – fear found the means to nudge its way in.

In that split second, we lose our connection. We forget our place on choosing which path.

And, that’s what it really boils down to, isn’t it? For on any given day we are presented with the choice of determining our interaction with this world.

“Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back,” the Buddha shared. “but choose always the path that leads to wisdom.”

The Buddha offered that this life is ripe with challenges, but – that our ‘suffering’ is but one choice within it.

Choose the path which leads to wisdom. That is to say, use the struggle to raise inner awareness.

This is how we learn. This is how we grow. This is how we transform our technique of interfacing with an often complex world.

“Did you try asking nicely,” I asked, leading her by the hand. And, when her brother saw her tiny tears – he didn’t hesitate to share.

And, in one of my proudest Mommy moments he said to her, “Lexy, when you hug me – I’ll hug you back.”

Perhaps a little something to be gleaned from the hearts of our littlest planet dwellers – that is, when you place love into this world…love is what surrounds you.

Namaste my loves ❤️