The ability to appreciate and rejoice in the tiniest details of our lives can be extrapolated out to an immense sense of gratitude for the bigger picture if we allow it to.
Sometimes life, with all of the complexity and challenges it presents to us from day to day, can become overwhelming.
There are times when it can be difficult to imagine how to overcome some of the trials and tribulations that come our way.
Unexpected tragedy may strike, we might experience troubles at home, problems with our health, or financial struggles that seem, from our present perspective, to be insurmountable.
Our burdens may feel like too much to bear.
Obstacles may appear to be blocking our every path forward.
At times like these, it may help to look closer, to hone in on one single detail, moment, or experience that brings or has brought us joy, to hyper-focus on this and to consider the beauty of it.
If even one thing can make us smile, can give us a sense of awe and gratitude, even if just for a moment, there is hope.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.
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Meditations on God 