Speaker: Gretchen Kahre-Holland. Gretchen reflects on two opportunities presented by the pandemic: to go into retreat, and to emerge with a fresh perspective on how to relate with our own minds and with others. Rinpoche once advised his students to "pray that your life falls apart---but not to put it back together in the same way"; more recently, he advised us to treat the pandemic as a retreat. As we emerge from this "retreat" and prepare to gather at NSS in person for the first time since 2019, we have an opportunity to apply Rinpoche's advice. As we put our lives back together, we can reflect on how we want to engage with our own minds and with the Sangha, using our experience and natural intelligence to cultivate an open, curious, and fresh approach. In this way, we can overcome the cycle of discontent, craving, and speed that characterizes modern life.