[This episode originally aired on Nov. 20, 2023]  In this episode, I'd like to explore such things as resistance, avoidance, procrastination — and why it’s so hard to keep going  •  I think such things are connected with expectations and its partner, disappointment  •  in one form or another, or at one time or another, I think most of us have had these kinds of experiences  •  but we don't need to view such things as character flaws or annoying obstacles; they actually are an important part of the whole spiritual path  •  if you never felt frustrated, if you never felt resistance, that might be a sign that you aren't really doing the practice; maybe you're not letting it bite  •  we set ourselves up for disappointment and frustration by the stories we tell ourselves  •  as practitioners or as students of the Dharma, instead of trying to match our experience to the stories we've told ourselves, we could drop our stories and just look  •  instead of being threatened or annoyed, we could be curious of what this experience has to teach us  •  can we actually be with experience as it arises, just as it is?  •  moments of disappointment can be powerful teachings  •  they can loosen our resentments and liberate us from the distortions that come from viewing reality through the lens of our expectations and disappointments.