There is an old Zen saying:
“No mud, no lotus.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
This morning, another thought quietly arrived during meditation:
The lotus never regrets the mud.
I sat with those words for a long time.
How much of our lives do we spend wishing parts of our story had never happened? We replay painful memories. We wonder who we might have been if life had been easier. We carry regret—not only for our own mistakes, but for what others have done to us.
Yet the lotus teaches a different way.
A lotus does not bloom despite the mud.
It blooms because of it.
The mud is not beautiful. It is dark, heavy, and messy. Yet it contains everything the lotus needs to grow. Without it, there would be no blossom reaching toward the morning sun.
Perhaps our lives are much the same.
There are chapters I would never choose to relive. There has been heartbreak, loss, disappointment, and seasons when I wondered if I would ever feel whole again.
Those experiences were not gifts because they hurt.
But healing has taught me something different.
The pain itself did not make me wiser. What transformed me was choosing, again and again, to meet life with compassion instead of bitterness, curiosity instead of fear, and love instead of resentment.
That is where the blossom begins.
As I reflected this morning, another image came to me.
The thousand-petaled lotus.
In yoga philosophy, the Sahasrara, the crown chakra, is symbolized by a thousand-petaled lotus. It represents awakening—not becoming someone new, but remembering who we have always been beneath the layers of fear, conditioning, and suffering.
The journey isn’t about perfection.
It is about unfolding.
One petal at a time.
At seventy-eight, I don’t feel as though I have arrived. I feel as though I am continuing to open. There is still more to learn, more to love, more to forgive, more beauty to notice, and more quiet joy to experience.
The lotus doesn’t hurry.
It doesn’t compare itself with the flowers beside it.
It simply opens when it is ready.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons of healthy aging.
We don’t become less beautiful as we grow older.
We simply become more fully ourselves.
Our wrinkles tell stories.
Our tears deepen our compassion.
Our losses teach us what truly matters.
Our joy becomes quieter, steadier, and less dependent upon circumstances.
The lotus never regrets the mud.
It honors it.
It grows through it.
Then it lets the mud remain where it belongs—beneath the water—while it reaches toward the light.
Maybe healing is not forgetting what happened.
Maybe healing is no longer living there.
Today, I choose to honor every chapter that brought me here.
I honor the mud.
I celebrate the blossom.
And I trust that life will continue unfolding, one beautiful petal at a time.
After all…
Nothing essential is missing.
You are already whole.
🪷
With love and gratitude,
Sandi
Sandi Greene is a writer, meditation guide, teacher, and lifelong learner dedicated to helping people cultivate greater clarity, purpose, joy, and well-being through The Art of Living Well.
Her work weaves together mindfulness, meditation, healthy aging, yoga philosophy, and timeless spiritual wisdom, inspired by A Course in Miracles, Davidji Meditation, and the daily practice of living with presence, compassion, and intention.
Sandi is an Instructor and Ambassador with the University of Utah Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where she teaches courses that encourage lifelong learning, meaningful connection, personal growth, and conscious living. She also serves on the Board of Trustees at the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, teaches New Member classes, and facilitates small groups that foster belonging, reflection, and authentic community.
Whether through her writing, meditation, teaching, or individual conversations, Sandi invites others to reconnect with their inner wisdom and discover that nothing essential is missing.
Thank you for reading The Art of Living Well. If these reflections resonate with you, I invite you to explore more articles, upcoming classes, and resources at https://sandigreene.com
May you walk gently, live intentionally, and remember that nothing essential is missing.
The Art of Living Well • Mindfulness • Meditation • Healthy Aging • Yoga Philosophy • A Course in Miracles • Osher Lifelong Learning • Well-Being
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