The book that bridges the gap between the ancient practice of mindfulness and modern life. "Brimming with invaluable nuggets of practical spirituality." —Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance Tim Desmond—an esteemed Buddhist philosopher who has lectured on psychology at Yale and leads a mental health project at Google—offers a path to self-growth, connection, and joy like we've never seen before. Despite an absent father, childhood homelessness, and losing a wife to cancer, Desmond has emerged with not only inner strength and joyful resilience, but also a deep understanding of human suffering necessary to advocate for those hurting all over the world. Through his work, Desmond realized the truth: we don't need a mindfulness practice for productivity or sleep, and it shouldn't come from religion, philosophy, or hypothetical situations. Instead, mindfulness should be rooted in the pain, sadness, loneliness, and trauma of the here and now, because it is the only true antidote for this sometimes-miserable world we call home. "Real and wise." —Jack Kornfield, author of The Wise Heart