When I’m having a hard time, one thing I try to do is look for inspiration from others.  I am so grateful for the wisdom and insight I find on other people’s blogs as well as the warmth expressed in comments.

This morning I found wisdom in these words of Pema Chödrön, an American teacher of Tibetan Buddhism:

Suffering Opens Us

When things fall apart and we can’t get the pieces back together, when we lose something dear to us, when the whole thing is just not working and we don’t know what to do, this is the time when the natural warmth of tenderness, the warmth of empathy and kindness, are just waiting to be uncovered, just waiting to be embraced. This is our chance to come out of our self-protecting bubble and to realize that we are never alone. This is our chance to finally understand that wherever we go, everyone we meet is essentially just like us. Our own suffering, if we turn toward it, can open us to a loving relationship with the world.

I read the blogs of people who live with mental illness or a history of abuse or other challenging situations, and it’s true; I feel less alone. I feel that I see some of the “loving relationship with the world” that Pema Chödrön writes about in the kindness and compassion that bloggers extend to one another. I am profoundly grateful.