Caring is not emotional.

Caring is not emotional, and when things are going badly caring doesn't mean losing your emotions. 

Caring is intentional.  You choose to care.

Caring means showing up, even when things are tough.  It means doing the work, even when you don't want to.  It means your still here- for me, for them, for us- because you want to be.

Well Trained

As you are practicing on the path, you like to know where you stand.  How is your practice progressing?  Is your practice effective?

The mark of being well trained is that despite being busy, despite stressful situations and surging emotions you can remain at ease.  These things never really go away.  Life never gets easy.  Your practice is simply to allow you to meet life where it is at.  To meet people honestly and openly. 

When you no longer feel trapped by temporary circumstances, you know you are making progress.  When you no longer feel overcome by negative mental states, you know your practice is effective. 

When you can meet adversity with openness, meet anger with patience and meet strangers with kindness, you have a genuine spiritual practice. 

Continue doing what you are doing. You are well trained. 

What's Your Mark.

A marksman knows exactly where her mark is.  

She knows when she has hit it, and when she has not.  

She will exert significant effort and a substantial amount of time to mastering her skills, cultivating the correct temperament and poise so that she can willfully hit her mark.  She learns how to handle external distractions and how to work with her own internal thoughts and emotions.  She knows how to adapt when the conditions change, how to stand in varied terrain.  

When she hits her mark, she is not lost in emotion and feelings of achievement.  Her's is the quest for mastery, for knowing directly and having the confidence that comes with that knowing.  The mark simply allows her to get there.  

What's your mark?

Joyous Perseverance

If a knight drops his swords, he retrieves it without hesitation in order to protect himself.  
If a snake falls in your lap, you instantly jump up in order to avoid getting bit.
If there is a chance you might lose the game, you push harder than ever, rally caps on.
If we cut ourselves, we use extra caution to clean and dress the wound, applying ointment day and night to prevent infection.

And yet, when we drop our mindfulness we are not in a hurry to retrieve it.
And yet, when negative emotions befall our mind we continue to indulge them.
And yet, when we actually lose our patience we let anger rule the show, and keep winning.
And yet, when we cut off generosity we don't care about the ensuing infection.  Who cares?

Diligence is important.  This is known amongst ordinary men and even the Buddha's praise it.  The Exhortation to Wholehearted Resolve Sutra says:

Always rely upon noble joyous perseverance,
Which clears away all suffering and darkness,
Which is the basis of freedom from miserable realms,
And which is praised by all the buddhas.

One who joyously perseveres,
Has no difficulty accomplishing any project
Whether mundane or supramundane,
Who among the learned is disheartened by joyous perseverence?

If we do not persevere in overcoming our own shortcomings, how can we achieve our own aims, much less the aims of others?