When I think of life sometimes, I think of those batting cages where kids stand and swing again and again at balls that come whizzing at them from automated pitchers. Fathers love to take their sons and daughters to these machines, and I did not like them or hit many of the balls. They came too fast, and I disliked the fact that they couldn’t be reasoned with or take into account my feelings.

This was always  metaphor for life. Somehow, we are taught that a good life is life without problems, without challenges, without disappointment. Yet I see the opposite is true for me. A good life is a life in which problems are taken one after another, and handled with grace, patience, a listening mind and an open heart. I don’t know anyone without problems, and I have come to embrace the notion that everyone has problems worse than mine. It may not be literally true, but it is a health point at which to face life. I think we all want the perfect life, and see it everywhere but inside of ourselves.

I have never painted a room before, but as we work together on our new home, I see that every problem is, in fact, a spiritual challenge, an opportunity to grow, understand life, see something new, learn about myself. So that is the thing about a perfect life. It is not perfect.