Being alive with who you are right now

"Once on retreat I was reading some traditional text that talked about bliss and special experiences, and I began to feel wretched. I felt poverty-stricken about never having had any experiences that felt like bliss, clarity, or luminosity. I began to feel depressed that I didn't measure up to any of these glowing words. Fortunately, I put that book down and picked up something simple about just being alive with who you are right now - nothing special, no big deal, ordinary: just keep your eyes open, keep your ears open, stay awake. Those simple instructions began to cheer me up, because I felt that I could follow them." - Pema Chodron