Taking time to engage with suffering and the suffering of others has a surprising amount to give back in the form of joy, love, and friendship.

In No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering ,Thich Nhat Hanh makes two key points:

1. To engage skillfully with suffering one must admit to suffering.

Some say that suffering is only an illusion or that to live wisely we have to “transcend” both suffering and joy. I say the opposite. The way to suffer well and be happy is to stay in touch with what is actually going on; in doing so, you will gain liberating insights into the true nature of suffering and of joy.

2. To further engage skillfully with suffering one must risk suffering.

Some people think that in order to be happy they must avoid all suffering… This isn’t correct. If you can recognize and accept your pain without running away from it, you will discover that although pain is there, joy can also be there at the same time.

How have you been doing? In what ways are you suffering? In what ways are you willing to risk suffering in the future?