I picked up a canvas with Banksy’s beat up Buddha and wondered what the kids would make of it. So I plunked down 25 pounds and bought it. The first thing I did when I got home was pound a nail into the empty wall…

When the volunteer coordinator called me, she said she had a woman who was “too mean to die” and that she trusted that I was the right person for her. With that introduction, I left with an open heart and open mind, intending not to judge, but send loving energy to her. She was the most miserable, unlikable, complaining, woman I have met!

I used to have a neighbor who would yell at her young children a lot. I would listen to her voice reverberating through the thin walls of our building and vow that if I ever had kids, I would never do that. Plain and simple. Fast forward a decade plus and – well, you can guess where this is going!

If you can spare 15 minutes, take a look at this beautiful video about the organization founded by my teachers — the Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

My friend Ibrahima does not know which day or year he was born. He came into this world in Guinea, West Africa, where his native language N’Ko had no written form until very recently. To obtain a passport, he had to approximate how old he was and select a day that felt right to him.

Here are the words that we have printed out, hung by our desks, posted on sticky notes on our fridges. Thanks to everyone who sent me quotes, poems and sayings that keep them going and provide inspiration in their lives.

Like unexpected money found in last season’s coat pocket, I discovered a scrap of paper in my wallet this morning. It’s a quote I must have torn out of a magazine and tucked away for a rainy day, by Charlotte Joko Beck. On this gray day that’s neither winter nor spring, when my mood seems to match the weather, I’m glad to have found it…

I spent the past couple of days noting how often my children laugh. They’re awesome at it (most of the time). Giggles turn into cracking up, which turns into unstoppable belly laughs. And just when you think they’re done, it starts all over again. I want to recapture this sense of lightness. I want to be amazed by subtlety, and to be reminded not to take this waning life too seriously.