Staying Happy in a Changing World

It's our last morning in Palm Beach. The expectations of the trip were met and exceeded. April and I had every bit the experience we wanted. I'm sure, though, you've had that sinking feeling on "headed home day."How do we go from the amazing high of expectation to crashing deflation of vacation's end? In Buddhism, impermanence is a large part of the discussion. One of Buddha's great insights is that we are craving beings. We want things and experiences hoping they will fulfill us. They do temporarily, but there's always that moment when we realize the feelings are passing.Another of his insights is that we're clinging beings. We try to grasp harder to keep the things, experiences, and people in our lives just as they are. Yet, in an ever-flowing universe, this is not possible.So, we become suffering beings because the things we wanted didn't bring us permanent joy and the grasping to them only made it worse.What's the solution? How do we having fulfilling experiences in our lives without feeling the suffering? We can learn to appreciate the ebbing and flowing moments of our lives without grasping on to them. We can find our joy in the only thing that is permanent - Change.There are more things to have, experiences to experience, and moments to enjoy. In fact, as long as we're here, they never stop.Jon Kabat-Zinn has a great quote that captures this principle. "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."You don't have to suffer. You just need to let go and catch the next wave.Have an amazing Saturday!Ray Click on over to The Affirmation Spot for more great motivational content.