Recently, I started a new job. I need to pay rent, but part of me says I should be exploring the world. I only get a fifteen minute lunch–but I eat under a sky so majestic, I wonder how people get work done at all.

Being broke is spiritual rocket fuel. The uncertainty of making rent is a chance to practice meditation in life’s bloody arena. A crystal can’t write a check. A chakra won’t resolve an eviction notice. When things get stressful, return to the breath so you are centered for the next task.

I’ve been panicking about money for a month now, and it’s been beautiful. My meditation has deepened. I’ve become more grateful. I’ve reacquainted myself with forgotten foods in the back of the freezer. When you can’t afford groceries, you discover abundance in what you already have. Desperation forces focus. And by golly, I have food in my pantry–I just never noticed it.

Maybe things really are “better” somewhere else: the sun shines more, the food is cheaper, the rent is lower. But live in the mental space of elsewhere and you forget your own sky, meals, and apartment. You won’t appreciate the world when it’s perfect if you can’t appreciate what you have right now.

Let the light trickle into your kitchen and be free. The vacation starts now.