Good enough is the lazy man’s way to enlightenment . . . There’s nothing more to do . . .  Your job is good enough . . . Your spouse is good enough . . .Your life  is good enough . . . Your meditation practice is good enough. . . You don’t need anything more, and what you now have is good enough. — This is all according to a young monk, – Ajahn Khemavaro, who spoke on Impermanence, in a 2008 presentation, “Everything Will Be alright.“

Our future is made up from the present moment. This is where our work begins … in the here and now. Be happy, peaceful and calm and the future will be the same. Even if it is not, you can look at whatever is happening from that perspective, as opposed to looking at it from a worried state of mind.

Meditation is great. You’re not just looking for bliss. You just want to be here . . .to be in the present moment with whatever is happening in that moment. You allow whatever comes up to just come up . . .

Yes it is! Good enough is the new perfection . . .

Whatever your mental or physical state is, just let things be.

Too often, we’re not human “beings.” We‘re human “doings.” We’re either coming or going, staying or leaving, manipulating or being manipulated . . . We are hardly ever in the state of “being.”

All of us (reading this) have the good karma to be here right now. We are inclined toward peace; we’re inclined toward goodness. All the causes and conditions of the past billion years have come together just to be here for us right now. Don’t throw it away.

Just be here. Share what you know with like-minded people. Share what you have. Encourage people to be more kind . . .to be happier. Meditate and notice the glow in other people’s faces, and I guarantee you, that they’ll notice the glow in your face!

Forgiveness. Forgive people. That’s the next step. “Who in my mind am I carrying a grudge against?” Whatever happened in the past, you can finally say to that person, “I forgive you.” Do it right after meditation. That’s when the mind is malleable; it has a lot of energy. We can offer forgiveness then. Don’t wait . . . Offer ’em kindness. The more we learn to let things go, the better off we can be in a present that enfolds peacefully into the future.

Gratitude

Be grateful for what you have been given. Appreciate what you have.

A good example of gratitude is the story or a priest who liked to jog outside of his church rectory. He’d run around the block and get in his daily exercise. One day while running, he saw a youth standing on a corner selling bagels. It was a unusual spot to sell. there was hardly any traffic, yet day by day the fellow stood out there with the bagels. The priest tossed the youth two quarters as he jogged past the site, never stopping to collect a bagel or to say anything. He continued to give this way for several years without the youth ever acknowledging the priest. And then as the runner made his way toward the youth’s corner one day, the fellow called out to the priest in an attempt to stop him.

“The price of bagels has gone up to sixty cents” he said.

Instead of being grateful for what he was freely given, he wanted more.

Be grateful . . . forgive . . .  learn contentment.