To move skillfully through life, we need equanimity.  Equanmity enables us to stay balanced and strong in the midst of the joys and sorrows of life.  Equanimity is rooted in insight, in understanding of "the way it is," including understanding the truth of aging, illness, death, and separation, and the pain that is unavoidable in human experience.  In this talk, Peter Doobinin explains how we develop in this understanding and learn to meet life with wisdom and an open heart.  The talk was given at a Downtown Meditation Community daylong retreat in the autumn of 2017.