01c. 1952 ADSo often we operate from ideas of love that don’t fit our reality.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
02c. 1952 ADFeelings of apathy as they relate to our relationships often stem from insufficiently paying attention to those around us.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
03c. 1952 ADOnly when we start to distinguish reality from fantasy that we can humbly, with eyes wide open, forge loving and sustainable connections with others.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
04c. 1952 ADWhat makes awe such a powerful call to love is that it’s disruptive. It sneaks up on us. It doesn’t ask our permission to wow us; it just does. Awe can arise from a single glance, a sound, a gesture.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
05c. 1952 ADOne foundation of loving relationships is curiosity, keeping open to the idea that we have much to learn even about those we have been close to for decades.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
06c. 1952 ADWhen we don’t tell those we love about what’s really going on or listen carefully to what they have to say, we tend to fill in the blanks with stories.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
07c. 1952 ADAlthough much of the work we do in committed relationships we do with our partners, sometimes it’s necessary to start with ourselves.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
08c. 1952 ADWith our close friends, family members, and lovers, we hope to create a special world, one in which we can expect to be treated fairly, with care, tenderness, and compassion.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
09c. 1952 ADBe open to the possibility that there are other paths available to you in relating to yourself and to another.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
10c. 1952 ADWithout equanimity, we might give love to others only in an effort to bridge the inevitable and healthy space that always exists between two people.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
11c. 1952 ADWhether we fear the existence of boundaries with others or crave more of them, there’s no denying that individuation and separation are inevitable parts of loving relationships that become the site of tension.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
12c. 1952 ADWe have to know ourselves to know where we end and another person begins, and we have to develop the skills to navigate the space between us. Or else we will seek wholeness through false means that honor neither us nor those we love.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
13c. 1952 ADHow we traverse the space between us when conflict arises has a profound effect on the health and longevity of our relationships.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
14c. 1952 ADA particularly difficult line to navigate is the one between fear and love, especially for parents, who want more than anything to protect their children from suffering.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
15c. 1952 ADThe paradigm for our relationships is formed from our earliest experiences and is actually hardwired into our neurological and emotional network.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
16c. 1952 ADLetting go of the belief that we’re powerless to help relieve our own suffering enhances our ability not only to heal but also to genuinely love and receive the love of others.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
17c. 1952 ADThe key in letting go is practice. Each time we let go, we disentangle ourselves from our expectations and begin to experience things as they are.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
18c. 1952 ADMindfulness won’t ensure you’ll win an argument with your sister. Mindfulness won’t enable you to bypass your feelings of anger or hurt either. But it may help you see the conflict in a new way, one that allows you to break through old patterns.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
20c. 1952 ADTo truly love ourselves, we must challenge our beliefs that we need to be different or better.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
21c. 1952 ADAs soon as we ask whether or not a story is true in the present moment, we empower ourselves to re-frame it.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
22c. 1952 ADMaybe what we really need is to change our relationship to what is, to see who we are with the strength of a generous spirit & a wise heart.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
23c. 1952 ADUntil we begin to question our basic assumptions about ourselves and view them as fluid, not fixed, it’s easy to repeat established patterns and, out of habit, reenact old stories that limit our ability to live and love ourselves with an open heart.Sharon Salzberg / quote ↗
