Summary: Ever have days that feel entirely uphill, like it's all you can do to stay the course of relentless climbing just to stay on track? Other days may slope downhill despite our best efforts, where any appearance of control and clarity turns out to be an awful projection thrown from a trick mirror. And what of those days when the mind-numbing buzz of autopilot provides the only excitement in an otherwise unremarkable life? There are, of course, good days and great ones too—the kind that, if we're lucky enough to chance upon a long run of them—they can balance out the lulls and make the rough spots feel less bruising in the end. But we can't lean on luck as a life skill. What we can rely on in rough times, though, is endurance. Endurance is our ability to last through difficulty, to withstand the rigors of life. It's also an invaluable teacher, a repository of willpower and strength. When I first learned it was within my power to dismantle the old hard-knock stories handed to me about soldiering on and suffering through as a strong woman in the face of life's challenges, I went at it with power tools only to find that the pain behind those fronts was staggering. Removing the old masks we're given, looking head on at the unresolved pain of generations is no walk through the park—not a safe one anyway. It is a journey of epic proportions, and it's no wonder we sometimes give ourselves to auto-pilot, playing small, and putting our lives in the hands of others as though it was the toll we pay for safe passage through. The way to get where we most want to go is to go right there, whether sure-footed or shaky, bearing in mind we're also allowed to call for backup when we need it. Calling on allies seen and unseen is within your power too—therapists, primo girlfriends, ancestors, angels—whatever you need, honey. Here's where endurance, one of our greatest inner resources, comes in. Consider it grace for the journey, holding us high above the craggy stretches, dabbing our brows when we feel faint, lighting the path gone dim, sending gentle winds to urge us on. Today's meditation is all about connecting to this tremendous gift.
