Nat

I’m not a patient person, so it was ironic that I had 24 hours worth of airport delays over the weekend to test my patience. During this vacation, I’ve quoted from two books (Happiness by Mattieu Ricard and Buddha or Bust by Perry Garfinkel). As it turns out, both discuss at length using any daily challenge to develop your skills at transforming your reaction to circumstance.

In a nutshell, each says that we have to cultivate our reactions to unpleasant experiences if we want to feel better. Usually I hate to be cooped up, and as I read one of Ricard’s chapters, I was sitting on the ground at Dulles in a snow storm for 3 hours in a completely full 30-seater plane.

Instead of my usual squirmy, self-pitying reacation, I drifted gently into a nap and then woke up and read eagerly till we pulled back to the gate. All in all, I feel more queasy about it now than I did while experiencing it.

It’s inspiring to be encouraged by people who say that mindfulness practice–steady effort to keep your focus right–helps you get beyond your own frustrations. What a great lesson.