So long as you see life as a struggle, it will surely be a struggle. Life can be what it is and not have to be a struggle. You are the one who struggles. It is you who swims upstream. You can make a truce with life, beloveds. You have been looking at life as if it is monumental. Life is a great offering at the same time as the details are incidental. Life does not have to be what you think it has to be. It’s like this:
 
You may crave a whole loaf of bread, yet, even a crust can be delicious. If you have your mind made up that you must have more than a crust, you may throw a crust away and so deny yourself. If everything in life has to be “good enough” for you, you fight life and you may throw away what could be delicious. You can desire more and still accept what comes. You can accept graciously.
 
There is a lot to be said for being grateful for what you do have. Being grateful can make all the difference in the world.
 
I am not saying you have to be satisfied with everything. I am saying you can be satisfied with something.
 
What is it? Is it pride that would make you dissatisfied with any prize?
 
It is a beautiful thing not to pout. It is a beautiful thing to be satisfied with half a loaf or, My dears, even with a crust or even okay with none?
 
Of course, you would like life to suit you. It is good to consider being suited to life. I do not mean for you to have a brave front. I mean it is a good idea to appreciate life even when it isn’t perfect. You can lean toward appreciation rather than protest. Incidents are called incidental, and incidental means less than all-important.
 
Nor am I saying that you submit to life as a penitent might. I am saying not to be so hard on life. You don’t have to stand out front and be wowed by it. You don’t have to be resistant to it. You don’t have to be affronted by life. Give life a break, and, therefore, you give yourself a break. Don’t stand on ceremony. Don’t be crushed because all that you desire has not reached you. Don’t be a dissident.
 
If you want to ascend, then grow up, beloveds.
 
A winner is not necessarily the one who wins all the prizes. You don’t have to win all the prizes. Life is not all about what you get. It is about your giving. Giving disapproval is not exactly great giving. Giving life a chance is more like it. Bet on life. Bet on yourself.
 
Life gives you many stepping-stones. Hop on them. Do not dismiss something because it does not live up to the epitome of your desire. You do not know where what you disapprove of could lead. You do not know what treasures lie before you.
 
Know this. Treasures do lie before you. Be open to them. You already know that everything in the world is not as it seems. All that glitters is not gold. By the same token, a piece of coal can offer you warmth. You can write with it. What seems like a piece of coal may even turn out to be a black diamond.
 
My children do not always know what good fortune looks like. Keep your eyes open for it. There are many doors in life to open. You cannot close out all of them. You never know what is behind a door. What exists behind a beguiling door may disappoint you. What is behind a rough-hewn door may surprise you.
 
Be an explorer. Better to take life as it comes than to denounce it.