Whatever you meet is the path. That’s the translation Zen teacher Norman Fischer gives to the 16th lojong slogan, “Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.”

Fischer writes, “We human beings are always doing spiritual practice, whether we know it or not.” This may feel strange, because so many of us have been taught that a spiritual practice means getting very holy and praying fervently, or doing something very specifically religious. The truth is, every part of our lives carries our spirituality in it. We can’t be a jerk to the cashier at the grocery store and not think it reflects on our spirituality. We can’t grumble about paying taxes or refuse to offer someone some grace and think it has nothing to do with our souls.

All of this counts. All of it matters. And while that by no means lessens the power of having very specifically spiritual practices in place, which enrich us, it sure doesn’t mean anything if they don’t translate to the every day stuff of our lives.

I’m reminded of what Ghandi quite famously said one time to his Western Christian friends: “You Christians are so unlike your Christ.” His point was that despite their belief in Jesus, they sure didn’t act like him, or try to live like him. And, really, if your faith is just a thought, what’s the point?

Whatever you meet is the path. Pay attention to the small stuff.

After all, it’s refreshing, really, to recognize that we don’t have to take a pilgrimage to India or the Holy Land to find our path. We can find it in the school carpool line. It’s right here waiting for us while we sort the mail and make dinner. All of these small moments can guide us further into our basic goodness, if we let them.

I love that this calls us to pay attention to our lives, for one thing. I do wonder if Covid has shown us how much we ran through our days rather than experienced them. We don’t have to live like that. We can choose to be attentive each moment. If we pay attention, we can be here, stay present.

However you want to grow spiritually this year, the path is waiting for you. It has been here all the time. Trust it. Follow it. Let all this mundane stuff become your initiation into a meaningful and compassionate life.

Stop trying to escape your life. Let yourself sink down deeper into it. That’s where the change happens.