We always have a choice, Pema Chödrön teaches: We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid—or we can let them soften us and make us kinder. Here Pema provides the tools to deal with the difficulties that life throws our way so we can wholeheartedly accept ourselves and others, complete with imperfections stay in the present moment by seeing through strategies that cause us to resist life as it is tap into our natural reservoirs of humor, flexibility, courage, and wisdom courageously move toward what makes us feel insecure in a way that opens our heart and connects us with others.