This too shall pass.

It is not a platitude, nor is it a placation. That phrase may be one of the simplest and simultaneously most profound truths.

All things—the good times, the bad times, the ugly times—they all pass. We are all part of a moving world where change is the only constant.

The stress and anxiety of daily life shall pass. The joy of meeting the love of your life will pass. The sadness of losing your parents will pass. The love of your children will pass. Whether or not within your lifetime, the moments are swift and fleeting. Even if you hold onto them for the rest of your life, your life too shall pass.

If this too shall pass, let it pass. Do not get in its way. Let the anger pass; do not let it get stuck. Let the elation move through; do not try to keep re-upping on that high. All things come and go. All things must begin and end. They will all pass.

Knowing this too shall pass is a sobering mechanism. When you know there is an end to turmoil, it helps you endure it. When you know there is an end to ecstasy, it helps you savor it.

Explore this experiment. Start with the extremes. When you feel a high or a low, meditate into the understanding that this too shall pass. How do you feel? And as you practice this experiment more, with subtler and more mundane events in your daily life, how does this phrase fortify you? What changes do you notice?

This too shall pass.