A human being is part of a whole…(yet) he experiences himself as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind.

    – Albert Einstein

This quote is often reported to conclude,

“Our task must be to free ourselves…by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Dear Honeybees, I’m sure that this week we’ve all happily engaged with people and stories and events that fall within our own personal circles (I know I have, and it’s been astoundingly satisfying).

As we begin the new week, what if we take this note of Einstein’s to heart? Can we stretch our circles just a little more, engage just as joyfully with the whole of our world as we do with our favorite parts?

Yes, it’s easier said than done, but as my mom likes to say, well, sweetheart, maybe that’s why it’s called work.

Let’s go to work.

Einstein wrote this in a letter to a grieving father who had just lost his son. You can read wonderful reflections on this idea from Maria Popova of BrainPickings, and can learn more about the original text and its popular mis-quoting on the OnBeing site.