Acceptance
Long-time students may notice that this sounds familiar. It's an article that I wrote several years ago and read to my classes, but it still rings true:
All suffering is caused by the difference between what is actually happening and the way you want it to happen. This can involve:
-other people’s behavior
-situations: jobs, finances, family dynamics/relationships, health, aging
Learning acceptance is a wonderful healing gift that you can give to yourself. Everything you experience is part of your journey through life. It’s an opportunity or a learning experience -- maybe a wake-up call. Whatever it is, embrace it because it can put you further ahead on the path. Surely you have all experienced something that you initially thought was bad only to discover later that it turned out for the best or lead to personal growth.
Acceptance isn’t giving in or being passive. I once heard acceptance compared to aikido. Aikido works with the energies of push and pull. When someone pulls you towards them, instead of resisting and trying to pull away, you move toward them, using their momentum so they have no power over you. Likewise, acceptance means going with the flow, rolling with the changes, and using the energy in a situation for healing.