There was a time when someone suggested I peel a cup of almonds. I couldn’t believe that anyone had the time. I think I laughed at the idea and popped a few whole into my mouth. My ego has done a lot of downsizing since then.

You see, according to Ayurveda, the skins don’t digest well and turn into ama (toxins) in the body. However, almonds are highly revered as a food that builds vitality. So they are an important medicine. And part of their healing is that they require us to spend some time with them first.

I wanted to do things really well after my daughter was born.

No, I wanted to do them perfectly.

While I was pregnant, I would watch a mother drag her screaming toddler out of a store and imagine offering perfect discipline that would prevent such an episode. I would see a disheveled mother tossing her kid out of the car at school, cold toast in her hand, and imagine how my perfectly scheduled day would allow us to arrive on time, if not early.

Maybe it’s that I didn’t sleep well last night. Maybe it’s that I’m stressed about building a business. Or maybe it’s just one of those times in my life when I have walked the edge of the cliff for too long and am getting ready to jump beyond where I am. It doesn’t really matter why. It is, and that is enough.