You are perfect the way you are.

This is me talking to you.  I believe you are just fine the way you are.  You and your life are OK.  No, not just ok.  I am telling you that I think you are perfect.

Someone needs to tell you that.  Perhaps you do not hear that regularly.  Maybe you have not heard this from your parents in a while.  You teachers have found "opportunities for improvement".  Your Significant Other has found 'shortcomings' and has shared that with you.  And we have not even gotten to what your boss and coworkers have said to you.  Sure your friends say nice things about you, but mostly after a few drinks.    And what they say has been qualified.  Does your Zen teacher tell you that you are OK?  Does you AT teacher tell you you are OK the way you are?  I hope so, I fear not.

But I think you are perfect.

Maybe you reflect on you life and have found what you think are faults.  You have some regrets and memories that you think demonstrate evidence that you are not perfect.   I won't argue with you, but I will say it again, despite all this, I think you are perfect.

What do you think about someone who says you are OK, without even knowing you?  Well, I am not stupid.  And I am not a hippie airhead.  I am a sober middle age, middle class western white person.  I have few friends.  I'm introverted and staid.  My wife calls me a borderline misanthrope (a shortcoming?).   I'm the last person that would believe something nice about you.  But it's true.  I think you are just fine the way you are.

Sure we all pull down, shorten ourselves.  But that is just because we don't believe we are OK.  If we believed we are OK we would leave ourselves alone.  Why would we feel the need to meddle about with how we use ourselves?  We would just leave good enough alone and the "right way would do it self".
If you believe you are OK, that you are perfect, you will feel no reason to pull yourself down, you will not narrow yourself.  You will leave yourself alone.
Oh, I know you suffer.  There is suffering and it sucks.  Really bad.  I've traveled over 3000 miles to be with my father in a hospital room.  I'm in the hall now while the staff washes his frail body.  He's OK now, but with the weight he's lost I'm sure he is not long for this world.  And around me I see other middle age folk who have ailing parents.  Oh, there is suffering.  I totally get that.  And yet their life is OK.  That's what I think.  That is what I am saying.

I am told that Suzuki Roshi, the founder of the SFZC said something like "You are perfect the way you are, and you could use some improvement."  I think he got it half right.

So, how does one sit physically?  I have no idea and I'm too tired to think about it.  I just want to say I believe you are OK.  Yes there is someone who fully believe you are perfect.  Now, go sit.  Is there need to do anything?  Let zazen do zazen.  Just sit.

It's OK