My first and only task with people is to love the person in front of me. To release regret of the past and fear of the future and to be connected in love to this exact person in this exact moment in this exact context. Nothing more is ever needed. Ever.
My task is to understand that, in this exact moment, there is nothing to fear and nothing to avoid because, like everyone and everything that has ever lived, my individual existence is fleeting and inconsequential. It is never the same and it is always ending. It will one day end for good and ultimately fade from all memory. There will be no trace of “me.” I have no choice about it. But I do have a choice between suffering or loving what is in this exact moment.
My task is to choose love over suffering.
The world will make it interesting. It will show me how I’m doing on my task. It’ll show me every place I can grow a little more in love today. My task is to meet the challenge by meeting every human being, including myself, with love.
This is the way to heaven, which is not anywhere else but right here and now in this razor thin moment. This heaven of true love is my birthright. It’s how I was born to live.
And so my task is to just do so.