Today's challenge is to Practice the Pause. When we have a potentially upsetting experience (or thought), pause. Simply pay attention for provoking situations and delay the automatic reaction, whatever that might be.
Example: I was driving with my two jumbo dogs with the windows down, having a great time on a sunny day. An older man in a large pickup truck passed and yelled, "You idiot! You're driving with your lights on!" My natural tendency is to shout FU and give him the finger, because he is obviously an idiot who never heard of daytime running lights. But I didn't. I paused.
The moment passed.
I ended up feeling sorry for the guy, because he has nothing better to do on a beautiful sunny day than try to provoke people into arguments, probably because no one in his family talks to him anymore. Isn't that sad?
I sincerely hope I'm not like that when I am older, because a part of me likes to argue too. Practicing the pause helps me counter this undesirable trait in myself.
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