Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don’t know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don’t know.
– Pema Chodron
Image: Waves by Tony Hisgett via Flickr
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too. Read More
True ! We just don’t know …..
Great share Rudri!
Thanks, Mari.
So true and I’ve applied this to so many situations in life. Gorgeous.
Pema Chodron is an inspiration to me. I love this quote you shared. How we frame our experiences often determines the meaning we give to them.
Jackie: I am glad you enjoyed this quote. She has so many gems that it is hard to pick only one.
I know I’m coming to this several days late, but oh my, Rudri, I needed this today. Thank you so much.
Dakota,
I am glad it helped. So often Pema Chodron’s words alters my perspective.
This is a beautiful quite – very true. It’s amazing how out of something ugly or “bad” can flourish opportunity and strength. So are things really bad or just unexpected? I’ve learned that life is all about word choice; what words we choose to attach to something can attach certain stigmas and feelings, associations – this quote illustrates that beautifully. :) Have a great one Rudri! -Iva
I love your characterization, Iva. Life is about the words we choose. Your words remind me of one of Don Miguel Ruiz’s four agreements, “Be impeccable with your words.”
Oh man. I needed this today.