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In one of his Stray Birds, Rabindranath Tagore observed:

The sunshine greets me with a smile.

The rain, his sad sister, talks to my heart.

I always thought that this kind of thinking is conducive to mental sanity and overall happiness. Momentous events and even simple thoughts come in waves that we cannot control. That's the philosophical concept of Anicca (or Impermanence) that we need to grasp to fully appreciate each day, regardless of what we're up against.

Our moods and sensations seem like undulating trees, swaying from the colors of bright happiness, and joy, all the way to the darker shades of sorrow and desperation. The key is not to resist the change or fight it with anger and frustration. Of course, certain events call for decisive action or downright indignation. But in our lives full of daily battles, an attitude of calm abiding is most beneficial.

Life challenges may strike you exactly when you start to feel the most comfortable. That's why it's crucial to continue taking calculated risks as it's the only way to move forward in life and avoid being caught off guard.

It's great to always expect the best in life, but at the same time somewhere at the back of your mind, know that pain and suffering will come, as they are an inevitable part of the human experience. The question is, what are you going to do about it when it finally finds its way into your life?

You have two choices. The first one is to succumb to the negative emotions and let them dictate your moment to moment conscious experience. Secondly, you may accept the dark clouds that envelop your psyche as a part of nature, which, in itself, is neutral and has no feelings. This second approach will enable you to stay positive, especially on these strange days when nothing seems to please you, and new events only reaffirm your dark predictions about the world.

This attitude of calm acceptance will allow you to observe the contents of your mind, let the negative thoughts pass, and start to see the first glimmers of light on the other side of the storm. This is, of course, easier said than done, and that's why it's great to engage in daily meditation practice, however short, to regain some of this intrinsic healthy mental balance, that's always there, waiting for us to see it.