Image Credit: StockPhotos
How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances that aroused them in us!”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 11.18.8
Sometimes, we find ourselves in a situation that can’t be helped, and that we have no control over… standing in a cashier’s line at a grocery store during a pre-holiday period, for example, is a great way to gauge the kinds of people we are (and see the spectrum of people there are in our communities around us).
So… *POOF!* (Pouf!), there you are, standing in line. The shopping carts in front of you, waiting to get their own treasures and treats upon the conveyor belt, are three deep. Ahead of them, the person at the register is finishing their purchase and the line will likely move… at some point… soon? You look down at your own little, handheld basket, seemingly vacant with only these three containers of very necessary -whatever-, and a bar of that foul peppermint chocolate your partner loves, and you take a breath before turning around to see another three shopping carts behind you, “patiently” waiting their turn… and in every checkout line to your left and right, as far as you can see, the scene is shockingly the same. Then, amidst a sea of seasonal shopping, you sense the spark of annoyance flickering.
Breathe… and don’t make it worse.
Don’t give in to snarkily commenting to one of your neighbors about the speed of things, or the fact that the odor-of-humanity is reaching a new level, or anything for that matter.
Just breathe… and don’t make it worse.
Remember the Stoic wisdom custom-tailored for this very moment, passed down and battle-tested through the ages: it is what it is, and since it is just that, embrace the moment fully, because it’s not going to be anything else other than what it is.
So, in this time of standing in line, when you accept the moment as something that is beyond your control, you can see things you didn’t before. Perhaps, you’ll see someone drop something and you can help them pick it up. Maybe you’ll have the chance to see someone leave something behind, and you can see that it gets returned to them. You cannot problem solve when you’re lost in the fog of your ongoing war with ego. If you’re not lost in your ego’s reactions to an unchangeable situation, you can be present that you may be of help to those around you. You can help or heal instead of hinder, harm, or harass.
Suddenly, you notice that in the time it took for you to reflect, recalibrate, ponder things both Hospitable and Stoic, and return to the moment, you’ve become the next person in line at the checkout. *gasp* The time seemed to fly by. You notice a small swell of pride, feeling grateful to your practice of detachment and acceptance for getting you through a tough moment. After a deep breath, you finally step toward the cashier, placing your humble purchases on the conveyor, and readying a pithy remark about how you’ll assure them your meager purchase won’t take but a moment…
… and now the management has to swap cashiers, because people need regular breaks, and their tills, and you’re assured all of this employee-swappery should only be but a moment.
*sigh*
Breathe… and don’t make it worse.
(See y’all tomorrow)
So… *POOF!* (Pouf!), there you are, standing in line. The shopping carts in front of you, waiting to get their own treasures and treats upon the conveyor belt, are three deep. Ahead of them, the person at the register is finishing their purchase and the line will likely move… at some point… soon? You look down at your own little, handheld basket, seemingly vacant with only these three containers of very necessary -whatever-, and a bar of that foul peppermint chocolate your partner loves, and you take a breath before turning around to see another three shopping carts behind you, “patiently” waiting their turn… and in every checkout line to your left and right, as far as you can see, the scene is shockingly the same. Then, amidst a sea of seasonal shopping, you sense the spark of annoyance flickering.
Breathe… and don’t make it worse.
Don’t give in to snarkily commenting to one of your neighbors about the speed of things, or the fact that the odor-of-humanity is reaching a new level, or anything for that matter.
Just breathe… and don’t make it worse.
Remember the Stoic wisdom custom-tailored for this very moment, passed down and battle-tested through the ages: it is what it is, and since it is just that, embrace the moment fully, because it’s not going to be anything else other than what it is.
So, in this time of standing in line, when you accept the moment as something that is beyond your control, you can see things you didn’t before. Perhaps, you’ll see someone drop something and you can help them pick it up. Maybe you’ll have the chance to see someone leave something behind, and you can see that it gets returned to them. You cannot problem solve when you’re lost in the fog of your ongoing war with ego. If you’re not lost in your ego’s reactions to an unchangeable situation, you can be present that you may be of help to those around you. You can help or heal instead of hinder, harm, or harass.
Suddenly, you notice that in the time it took for you to reflect, recalibrate, ponder things both Hospitable and Stoic, and return to the moment, you’ve become the next person in line at the checkout. *gasp* The time seemed to fly by. You notice a small swell of pride, feeling grateful to your practice of detachment and acceptance for getting you through a tough moment. After a deep breath, you finally step toward the cashier, placing your humble purchases on the conveyor, and readying a pithy remark about how you’ll assure them your meager purchase won’t take but a moment…
… and now the management has to swap cashiers, because people need regular breaks, and their tills, and you’re assured all of this employee-swappery should only be but a moment.
*sigh*
Breathe… and don’t make it worse.
(See y’all tomorrow)
RSS Feed
