Turtle-3

“We really can’t see clearly while we are in our own setting, but for a split second, if we imagine other people’s lives, they are not that different. Driving a Mercedes and driving a Honda is, at the end of the day, not too different. We are just moving from point A to point B. A Michelin dinner and a diner sandwich are not too different—don’t get me wrong, they are different—but anything can be special. I’ve had one of my worst dinners at a Michelin restaurant and one of my best sandwiches—as you can guess—was the one I had in the courtyard of your school library with you.

And I know maybe it’s more than just, “Oh, everyone deals with their own problems every day, so we are all suffering.” I understand there are always things we can’t just put into a regular box. All the fancy philosophy, perspectives, talks, and books are meaningless sometimes.

So what do we do then?

I don’t know, J. Try everything. Go see a doctor, start exercising, eat better, sleep regularly, and meet people. You have to talk to people. Get a dog. Walk the dog so you have an excuse to go out on the darkest days.

Some come to us and try the tea ceremony, and we always tell them this isn’t the one and only solution for their lives. Sometimes, this isn't even an answer for someone.

You just have to try everything. But try the good things. You know what to try and what not to try.”