As we settle into a retreat, from time to time we might experience states of calm, peace, happiness, and joy. Leaving retreat and returning to our daily lives, we sometimes feel that these states are very far from our experience. In your daily life, let yourself be open to the possibility that this kind of mind state does happen throughout your day, perhaps in small ways. We can start to realize that beautiful mind states are more present than we thought they were. Noticing even small moments of happiness and calm will start to have a cumulative effect. That’s the way mindfulness works—in being mindful of small moments of happiness, conditions are created that encourage such states of mind to arise more and more frequently.