"My son Peter's mother-in-law not only tolerates unpleasantness with grace, she often can appreciate it. She is the only person I have ever driven with on Los Angeles freeways, with cars whizzing in and out of lanes arbitrarily, in snarly, congested, smoggy traffic tie-ups, who says, with genuine awe, 'Wow! Look at all these people going places!'

"It's a big step, of course, from freeways to famines to wars, but it's wonderful to have confirmation that spacious acceptance is humanly possible. Spiritual practice might be discovering that potential in ourselves and enlarging it."

To Practice: Set the intention to practice spacious acceptance and grace. Start with accepting others' driving behavior. First notice your reaction, then cultivate awareness of all the drivers' need to get somewhere and a desire for all drivers to arrive at their destinations safely. Once you've habituated reacting to other drivers with grace, spend a few minutes brainstorming a list of other situations in which you could practice spacious acceptance. Choose one from your brainstorming list and keep going. Let your newfound acceptance lead you to embrace more and more people and situations with enthusiasm.

Sylvia Boorstein in It's Easier Than You Think