Hello, you are listening to the secular Buddhism podcast and this is episode number 42.

I am your host Noah Rasheda and today I'm talking about the fact that we're all here,

but none of us signed up for this. I'm talking about life.

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine and I were having lunch and we were talking about life and

as we discussed how things were going, an expression was brought up and it's had me thinking about

it ever since. The expression is I didn't sign up for this. Has that ever crossed your mind,

perhaps, in referring to how something is turning out, whether it be in your career or your marriage

or in any other area of life, that sentiment of I didn't sign up for this? There was a time in my

life in my marriage specifically about seven years ago where I had this same thought. I was going

through something difficult and I had this thought that I didn't sign up for this. In fact,

I'm certain that a significant portion of my suffering at the time was tied up with this

recognition that I was experiencing something that didn't seem fair to me, something that I hadn't

signed up for. So I wanted to talk about this thought, this idea. What did we sign up for?

But before I jump into this topic, I do want to remind you of a couple of quick things.

First, my commonly shared quote by the Dalai Lama, where he says, do not try to use what you learn

from Buddhism to be a Buddhist, use it to be a better whatever you already are. Regardless of which

path you're on or how far along that path you may be, mindfulness can help you to become a better

whatever you already are. In second, the reminder that this podcast is made possible by the foundation

for mindful living, 501c3, nonprofit whose mission is to make the world a better place by teaching

people to live more mindfully. So if you get any value out of this podcast and if you're in a

position to be able to, please consider becoming a monthly contributor. Even $2 a month can make a

big difference. One-time donations are also appreciated. And you can make that donation by visiting

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