In this Mindful Monday, Emilía shares a story from a recent outing that demonstrates the power of our assumptions, where assuming friendliness in a challenging situation left the possibility open for the situation to change completely.

“It never hurts to see the good in someone, they often act the better because of it.” - Nelson Mandela

The same lesson has implications for our inner world, demonstrating how we can befriend Mara when he shows up in our lives.

In this Mindful Monday, Emilía reads a powerful story from Frank Ostaseski's Five Invitations demonstrating the healing power of love.

"In the horror of my own suffering, I always had held out the hope that one day someone would rescue me. I had imagined that I would be saved by love coming toward me. Just the opposite. I was rescued when love came through me." - Frank Ostaseski

As we interpret conflict in our lives, we can easily identify with our thoughts and beliefs, often to our detriment. Tsoknyi Rinpoche coined the phrase "real but not true" which honors the reality of our emotional experience. This meditation offers the possibility of coming home to the truth and experiencing a sense of freedom when we are gripped by a storyline where someone is failing in some way.