iamkrystal

 One skill—and mindset—you naturally develop while raising a child is this: no matter the mess, you can handle it. Even if food gets scattered everywhere, cereal covers the entire living room, or dish soap is poured and smeared all over the floor, it can all be cleaned up. Things that used to make me anxious—what if it spills, what if it gets messy—don’t bother me like they used to. I’ve grown more lenient. Sometimes I just say, “Sure, go ahead. I’ll clean it up later.” It comes from a mix of love and a sense of responsibility. What else can I do? It’s up to me to take care of it. Yesterday, Liam—who finds it nearly impossible to stay still—was quietly watching TV in a chair. Suddenly, he called out for help. I found him stuck in the chair. At first, I wasn’t too worried. If he got in, he should be able to get out, right? But nope—it wasn’t that simple. I called my husband. We tried taking Liam into the shower and lathering him up with soap to slip him out, but even that didn’t wo...

 The title caught me off guard at first—and reading the book surprised me even more. I was amazed by how deeply the author explored the nature of thought and expressed it so clearly in writing. With wisdom and insight wrapped in beautiful, gentle language, the author also lays bare his own vulnerability and fragility, making the book all the more powerful. Through one person’s life, we encounter the wisdom of meditation, deep reflections, and the painful days that followed his departure from monastic life, his father's euthanasia, and ultimately, how he comes to terms with his own life. I read it in one sitting. The latter part of the book left a heaviness in my heart and a lingering afterthought. I truly, wholeheartedly recommend this book. “Even a ten-year-old child could probably explain what inner beauty is—patience, generosity, honesty, confidence, the ability to forgive, to think from others’ perspectives, empathy, listening, compassion, understanding, thoughtfulness... Every...