Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

I had dinner at a friend's house the other night, and I noticed all their trash was piled in the corner of the kitchen next to the garbage can instead of in it.

They noticed my confused look and said, we bought this high-tech garbage can a few years back and

we ran out of the special trash bags that perfectly fit into it about four months ago.

The manufacturer is still out of stock so yeah this is annoying.

Why not get a new trash can that takes regular bags? I asked.

You would think we would, they laughed, but we've already spent so much money on this stupid thing.

They said, pointing to that fancy, shiny, motion-activated yet completely useless trash can, just sitting there

in the corner of the kitchen mocking them.

It's as if admitting to a mistake is deemed more difficult than continuing to live with one.

I've even heard people dread and complain about hanging out with certain friends

because they never have anything to talk about or nothing in common,

so the conversation dies after just five minutes of seeing one another.

So why are you hanging out with them in the first place, I'd ask?

Well, you know, we've known each other since elementary school, they would reply, as if having a history with someone automatically implies there's a future.

It seems we cling to our mistakes just because we spent so much time, money, or energy making them.

It's like driving in the wrong direction for 200 miles before you notice you're heading east instead of west,

but you've already driven 200 miles so you figure you might as well keep going.

It doesn't make any sense.

But I do remember Steve, an attorney from one of the law firms where I used to work,

storming out of his office one day,

loudly announcing, I am done! My dad was a lawyer, his father was a lawyer,

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