“When our hearts are small, our understanding and compassion are limited, and we suffer. We can’t accept or tolerate others and their shortcomings, and we demand that they change. But when our hearts expand, these same things don’t make us suffer anymore. We have a lot of understanding and compassion and can embrace others. We accept others as they are, and then they have a chance to transform.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

The moments when we are calm and composed, in the most difficult situations, are examples of this expanding heart that Thich Nhat Hanh describes. This takes work and I think it’s one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves, as well as a responsibility, evolving so that we’re able to tap into the inner parts of our self that dial down the negative responses, poor coping skills, and dial up the parts that influence feeling grounded, calm, confident, compassionate, clear, and creative.