Thich Nhat Hanh says, “life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life.” Letting go of our suffering, the traumatic events of our past and present, and releasing ourselves into the fears of the unknown are never an easy thing to do. Thich Nhat Hanh would say to us, “To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment is our most important task. Calming, Smiliing, Present moment Wonderful moment.”

As I was reading more about Thich Nhat Hanh, I came across and interview that Oprah conducted with him. I want to share these thoughts here, and then unpack them a bit.

Oprah: What if in a moment of mindfulness you are being challenged? For instance, the other day someone presented me with a lawsuit, and it’s hard to feel happy when somebody is going to be taking you to court.

Nhat Hanh: The practice is to go to the anxiety, the worry…

Oprah: The fear. First thing that happens is that fear sets in, like, What am I going to do?

Nhat Hanh: So you recognize that fear. You embrace it tenderly and look deeply into it. And as you embrace your pain, you get relief and you find out how to handle that emotion. And if you know how to handle the fear, then you have enough insight in order to solve the problem. The problem is to not allow that anxiety to take over. When these feelings arise, you have to practice in order to use the energy of mindfulness to recognize them, embrace them, look deeply into them. It’s like a mother when the baby is crying. Your anxiety is your baby. You have to take care of it.

You have to go back to yourself, recognize the suffering in you, embrace the suffering, and you get relief. And if you continue with your practice of mindfulness, you understand the roots, the nature of the suffering, and you know the way to transform it.

So how do we release the our suffering, and to live into the unknown – the future? I have practiced the idea of being present in the very moment, learning from the past, and leaning into future possibilities. That’s not always easy! Thich Nhat Hanh gives us this poem that I leave you with:

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.