Thank you to my mother and Unity minister, Glory, for guiding me and my five siblings onto a spiritual path. We all remain deeply connected. Thank you to my father, Arne, Norwegian at birth, American veteran and pilot of three wars, who lived with sterling integrity and deep love of family.
Thank you to all my spiritual teachers: Swami Muktananda, who pointed to me in a vast, crowded hall and asked, “Why have you waited so long to come see me?” (I was only twenty-two), and then visited me that night in a dream — and I was launched. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whose giggles intoxicate me when I hear him teach, and whose faith and deep commitment to the possibility of one’s enlightenment is palpable. Jack Kornfield, one of the founders of Spirit Rock, my spiritual home, for his teachings, for the family he has created at Spirit Rock, and for his books — so clear and touching, inspiring and fun! Sylvia Boorstein, my dear friend, travel companion, and writer of many charmingly accessible books, whose daily life is a living demonstration of love and commitment. Like Joseph, her wisdom is so deep that our time together is a blessing I never take for granted. Guy and Sally Armstrong, friends, teachers, vacation buds, and two shining examples of what living an awake life together can be like. James and Jane Baraz, single-handedly awakening joy around the world and living it with a deep commitment to teaching, sharing, and giving back. Kamala Masters, whose retreats with Joseph I have sat for almost thirty years. Her genuine, soft response to daily living is inspiring. Thank you all for your teachings, your wisdom, and your support in reading this book and offering your kind and moving endorsements.
Thank you to the colleagues, friends, mentors, mentees, and partners I have come to love in my many years of San Francisco real estate. You are the audience I imagined as I created this book, working with the monthly integrity instructions in our shared business community.
Thank you Sandy Boucher, Buddhist teacher and author, for offering to look at the first few rough chapters and assuring me it was worthwhile pursuing. Thank you Kim Baker, friend, therapist, and longtime Buddhist practitioner, for offering me the opportunity to try out the first chapters on your therapy group. Their eagerness to take these instructions into their daily lives and then return to share their stories with the group was an inspiration.
Thank you Wisdom Publications for the truly amazing work you do and the gifts you offer to our world. I am deeply grateful and totally smitten to have you as my publisher and be included in your family of remarkable teachers and writers. Thank you Andy Francis and Laura Cunningham for seeing in my rough draft what now is available to everyone, thanks to your early, gentle suggestions that made it all come together so beautifully. Thank you Mary Petrusewicz for stepping in so smoothly, midstream, and gently nudging it along to a timely completion. Thank you Josh Bryant for the beautiful cover design that everyone loves. Thank you Ben Gleason for moving the manuscript through production so effortlessly, and Brianna Quick for patiently teaching me how one markets a book. I have loved working with everyone at Wisdom and thank them deeply for their kindness.
I feel honored to know each and every one of you and to learn from you personally, as we share this life together. This is a blessing I would not have envisioned for myself, and I continue to be awed and deeply grateful for the opportunity.
And thank you to all of you who are reading this book and working with your integrity. Those efforts are no small undertaking. Ah, but the bliss of blamelessness is no small achievement.