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April   23rd

THE MIND    IS  ALL YOURS

“You    have    been    formed  of  three   parts—body, breath, and mind.   Of  these,  the first   two are yours

insofar as  they    are only    in  your    care.   The third   alone   is  truly   yours.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    12.3

he body can be ravaged by disease or injured or disabled in a sudden accident. It can be imprisoned
or subjected to torture. The breath can suddenly cease because our time has come, or because
someone has taken it from us. Breathing can grow labored because of exertion or illness as well. But up
until the very end, our mind is ours.
It’s not that the other two parts of life that Marcus mentions—our body and our breath—don’t matter.
They’re just less “ours” than our mind. You wouldn’t spend much time fixing up a house that you rent,
would you? Our mind is ours—free and clear. Let’s make sure we treat it right.