I Smile

The Great Way of Tao
is not a way of getting what I want.

Sometimes I struggle so with life,
that I neglect to live.
I try so hard to have my way,
that I forget to play.
I mistake events that daily come
as stumbling blocks to be avoided,
or as knots to be untied.
Yet an ordinary day is filled with wonders
concealed by my conditioned way of thinking.
Each moment contains a buried treasure
awaiting my discovery.
Even when my psyche aches within
the dark and painful passages of life,
a hidden gem anticipates revealing
in a blinding flash of light.

Adversity becomes an opportunity,
and adversaries are revealed as friends.
Gratitude blossoms in my being.
Tiny cracks appear in my facade
of doubting melancholy.
A playful mood insists on coming in
no matter how I try to stop it,
and soon I smile.
I just can’t help it.