How I turned a crappy morning into a peaceful afternoon

I woke up this morning to one of my hosts expressing anger that I have been eating their food. It’s really a matter of miscommunication, and I hope to resolve it soon. Then I checked my emails, and there was one from a friend on an emotional topic that required a thoughtful response. What these two events illustrated for me is that it’s really not fun waking up to emotional turbulence. Doesn’t take Socrates to tell you that, but it’s important to acknowledge obvious observations when they come your way, otherwise you might forget! And there’s little more embarrassing than overlooking something obvious.

But then, I embarked on the short walk to Tufts in the lovely weather. I ran into a friend, and ended up walking the rest of the way to campus with a friend of his, having a very nice conversation (she got into vet school on her first try! wow!) I sat down on the grass under a tree. I read and answered the emotional email. I talked with several friends about the turbulence of the morning. All very helpful.

Then I got up to go somewhere with less computer-screen glare, and noticed that the doors of the beautiful Goddard Chapel were wide open. I walked inside, and it was empty. The openable windows were also open. The cool breeze in such a totally serene place was absolutely perfect. I sat down inside on the red-carpeted steps to the second floor, and failed to connect to the wireless. I turned off my computer and went to the computer lab next door. But oh my goodness was the experience helpful for restoring my emotional even keel.

Things I have learned this morning:

• It sucks waking up to unpleasantness.
• Talking to friends about unpleasant feelings really helps a lot.
• Sitting quietly in serene places is one of the best ways to restore calm.

Related to that last revelation, there was a link on Lifehacker this morning pointing to 6 podcasts of hour-long meditation classes. I downloaded them, and look forward to listening. Hope they’re helpful for you too!