Will you kindly get away from the idea that life is hard? Even if the past has been difficult for you, today does not have to be. Do you have the idea that life is a burden, and that you carry it? If this is your practice, then start thinking of life as easy and miraculous.

I know you won't argue about life's being a miracle. For Heaven's sakes, it is all miracle! That babies are born is a miracle. Think of it. A new life begins. Think of how a puppy grows. Think of it. A little at its tail, a little at its nose. Think of a flower that grows from a seed and blossoms into such a beautiful array. Think of you. Think of the miracle of you.

Think of the miracle it is that you go along in life and sometimes drag your feet. Isn't it a miracle that in the midst of miracles that sometimes you go along in perfect misery in a miracle-filled life! Is that not amazing? What a world I created where flowers bloom and even dissatisfaction can take hold.

Begin to favor other ideas. Favor the lusciousness of life. Count the ways. Step out of disgruntlement. Step out of fear and all the ramifications of fear. Kick that ego away.

It can only be ego that makes you feel special in dissatisfaction. Ego would have you feel wounded. Ego would banish you to protest and struggle. Ego would have you spar with life.

I tell you to make jolly with life. Give it a helpful hand. If you feel that life has laid you low, then get up and rise high to life. Give life a good-natured smile.

Life does not make you squirm. Ego does. Yes, that little red-faced ego keeps knocking you down. Ego whispers in your ear: "Life can't do this to you. Life isn't going to get away with treating you this way." And ego does a little joyful dance as it encourages you to dispute with life.

Beloveds, dispute with ego. Ego works against you. Life is for you, Ego feeds your mind with self-defeating thoughts. Ego tells you that you need bolstering. Meanwhile, ego takes you down with its insidious whispers, telling you how badly life treats you. Ego is pernicious.

Life would not tell you to mope. Life would tell you to get on with it. Life doesn't want you in a sea of tears. Life would like you to swim the English channel and get to the other shore. Life bolsters you. Even when life seems to knock you down, life is lifting you up, carrying you along in a stream of the manifest.

Ego likes it when you fall into despair. Ego likes to keep you down with its foot the way you might stamp out a cigarette with your foot on the sidewalk. Given its way, ego will keep you down all right. All the while, ego will smile and wink at you. Ego leaves you crying while it goes off laughing.

Life is a much better friend than ego. Ego is no friend at all. Ego is like a drug-dealer. Ego sidles up to you and offers you a false promise and charges you a good price for it. And then ego keeps you coming back for more temporary ego-surges, gets you hooked on ego, and then leaves you distraught and misbegotten.

Life can work wonders. Ego can only lie to you. Ego will tell you to look aghast at life while it pilfers your very self-regard. Ego pushes you into the gutter, all the while blaming life. Ego, beloveds, is a false hero. Life is your real friend. Adhere to life. You have had enough ego.