Book Notes - When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

This book is a very easy book to read. Pema's style of writing is comfortable and entertaining. She brings a light, sometimes very playful, mood to the heavy topics of suffering and resistance to growth. There are practical instructions for meditation and descriptions on attachment, hope, fear, opinions, and our perceptions.
Pema teaches about wholeness, fullness, and invites us to "lean into the pain", so that we can pause long enough to grow (pg 196). We can use our personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings. All of the acceptance and peace that can be found can allow us to bring forth more positive interactions in the future.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is searching for a way to navigate life's struggles. This would also be a good book to introduce the method and benefits of meditation and contemplation.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
"When we hold to our opinions with aggression, no matter how valid our cause, we are simply adding more aggression to the planet, and violence and pain increase." pg 221
"We can use everything that happens to us as the means for waking up." pg 250
"Maybe the most important teaching is to lighten up and relax." pg 284