I spent the last two days feeling more stressed out than I should have.  An accumulation of small problems and moderate needs seemed to compound leaving me less composed than I would have liked.  While the issues I was dealing with were not directly my own, I felt compelled to resolve them in an effort to assist my friends. 

Hindsight provides clarity to examine the situation and pinpoint the changes I could have made to avoid feeling stressed.  In the midst of answering panicked texts, phone calls, voice mails, and e-mails while attempting to resolve these issues, there were two calm individuals that I gained a deeper admiration for.

Both of these teachers, tempered by experience were able to see the big picture and understand a simple concept.  It was either going to work out, or it wasn’t.  It really was that simple, sure an ideal outcome existed and that was what I was working toward but if it didn’t happen the world wasn’t going to end.  They also had the experience to know that things aren’t black and white and were willing to make phone calls to resolve situations as needed.

I don’t like feeling stressed out.  Sometimes stress is a product of my own actions and sometimes it comes from my environment or my associations.  I can’t always control if or when some new source of stress will present itself, I can however choose how to respond to it.  These past few days served as practice, a compilation of mini battles I either won or lost with my natural instincts.  I didn’t win all my battles staying calm and composed but with time I hope to win an increasing number of them.