The Buddha put his finger on it when he said that my desires, my wants, my plans, my expectations set me up for disappointment when I don't get what I want. I have learned that one of the main reasons I don't get want is that the universe is not under my control. Another biggie is that I want to see my friend but I forget to specify that he should be in a good mood, he should still be alive and in good health. When I put more effort into specifying what I want, my expectations are often still inadequate or simply ignored by the universe, traffic and other oblivious forces.
Lately, I have found the title of Tara Brach's book "Radical Acceptance" a handy motto to assist in guiding my daily life. I wanted a sunny day but I get an overcast one. Ok, try fully accepting the different outcome. Overcast has its advantages, I have dealt with overcast skies before, I can do it again. I often drift into a discussion with myself about the advantages that I know can come from overcast skies. I am getting to be like a slippery lawyer (if there is such a person), who can argue for any case or against any case.
