To act or not act? To be, or not be? To have or not have? I’ve found myself often enough wondering what to do. To be in that place is to stand at the top of the Continental Divide straddling both sides. The weather can be stormy on the left and clear on the right. Which is best?

We rarely know the answer at the beginning, only at the end; nonetheless, I’ve found these words to be helpful. They are from the Tao Te Ching, verse 23:

“Express yourself completely and then keep quiet.

Be like the force of nature:

When it blows, there is only wind.

When it rains, there is only rain.

When the clouds pass, the sun shines through.

If you open yourself to the Tao, you are at one with the Tao,

and you can embody it completely.

If you open yourself to insight, you at one with insight,

and you can use it completely.

If you open yourself to loss, you are at one with loss,

and you can accept it completely.

Open yourself to the Tao, then trust your natural responses,

And everything will fall into place.”

From the Tao Te Ching, Stephen Mitchell Translation (1988)