Well this one’s simple, even if it isn’t easy: whatever happens, be patient. That’s the reason we practice mind training, right? So that we don’t get tossed around by the ups and downs of the day? Well, this is that, in a nutshell.

Traditionally the lojong slogan reads, “Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.” The “two” here means either the joyful thing or the painful thing, the pleasant thing or the unpleasant thing. As Ferris Bueller said, life comes at us fast. This teaching helps us remember that nothing’s permanent. Unhappy? Give it some time, it’ll change. Happy? Give it some time, it’ll change.

This is a great reminder of the first noble truth of Buddhism, which is that everybody experiences a certain unsatisfactoriness in life. The amazing thing comes to an end and we feel deflated. The terrible thing comes to pass, and we’re heartbroken. And whether or not you’d opt in to live in a utopia, you can at least admit this up and down brings meaning to our lives. At the very least, it gives us a lot of opportunities to practice!

Traleg Kyabgon writes, “Even when life’s trials are unpleasant or upsetting, patience allows us to face them in a creative and beneficial way, with courage and dignity.” Courage and dignity. I love that. I think it helps us not to roll our eyes at the idea of patience, which admittedly can be exasperating in those moments when we don’t have it. It doesn’t help when I just berate myself for not being patient. To me, it feels more helpful to reframe it as moving closer toward embodying courage and dignity.

So whatever happens, be patient. Trust in the goodness of things. Let things unfold. Also, do what you can to move things in a good direction. And when things go awry, let it go, let it go. Try again. Keep moving.