Here is the world, terrible and beautiful things will happen. Don’t be afraid.

Frederick Buechner, American writer and theologian

“I have this quote hanging in my office and I read and reread it every day because I acknowledge life is hard and not picture perfect and beautiful. There are horrible, heavy, terrible things. But there are also beautiful things. The only way to get through it is to be present in it. As a physician, what I understand from that quote is that I can’t pretend everyone’s healthy and smiling all the time. There are tragic things that happen. It’s not pretending you’re going to have a good day today. It’s saying just be present for it, embrace it, be grateful for it, you’re here right now. I tie that to grounding because that’s what grounding does for me. It grounds my body physically. It also grounds me emotionally and spiritually and allows me to be present in this moment. But it doesn’t pretend everything’s wonderful, and easy, and instantly fixed. It’s saying, it can be hard, and it can be beautiful, and it can be heavy, and it can be overwhelming, and can you just be here with me right now? I just love that.”