Whatever life offers us is what we have to work with—and often it is the most challenging times of our lives that can ultimately become the most transformative.

During the two years that I spent living with serious, disabling illness, my so-called life seemed to slip away in increments. At first the loss of energy, the onset of pain, the restricted movements, seemed more than I could bear. But soon I was unable to even show up for a job that I had valued, so that disappeared. Then my social life narrowed down into much anticipated visits from a couple of friends who helped me with basic tasks, such as ‘chopping wood and carrying water.'

What I was left with was myself, a self that didn't seem happy or loving or all the things the current self-help books say we need to be in order to heal. But, from a spiritual perspective, this stripping away became the most powerful teaching I have ever experienced. This opportunity of illness, or as the Buddha calls it, this messenger from the Gods, forced me to look at my life in all its manifestations—the good, the bad and the ugly.