Let It Go! And Don’t Lose Your Perspective On Life…

If you keep a journal and review it from time to time you might notice that as soon you enjoy a few carefree and happy days you suddenly have a few fires to put out. Good days are followed by bad ones. You might be depressed, stressed out or stretched too thin.

Here is what happens in your mind. You just finished a busy work week in which you were able to be productive, upbeat and positive. You even got some exercise in and ate healthy foods. Suddenly one event will send you spinning. It might be something small or someone said something hurtful to you, your investments tanked or the rental car you returned somehow ended up with a scratch on it.

When things are going great your mind has nothing to do. You are enjoying the moment, content and happy without any antagonism. But your mind isn’t okay with that. There has to be something or someone to battle, a hurdle to overcome or a problem to solve otherwise your mind will make you feel like life is slipping away from you.

Your mind is like that excitable dog, pulling on its leash, looking for the next thing to sniff out and the next exciting thing that will take your attention away. It tells you that it’s much more enjoyable to have excitement and controlled chaos than tranquil peace.

Your peaceful inner self is more like that little old granny. If you observe the little lady walking slowly with her basket, shuffling her feet along with no care in the world you aren’t overcome with excitement. Your mind has no desire to be the little old granny but…. there is that little voice, that deeper inner you that is so fucking jealous. A car honks or a loud thud from the nearby construction site doesn’t phase her. She keeps walking along, adjusting her scarf. She doesn’t have a determined look on her face, she is just taking those steps, one shuffle at a time.

You, that peaceful you, wants to be that little granny. Your mind, the hyperactive ADHD mind, wants to be that curious dog. Your mind wants to look at a limousine and wonder who is inside it. Your inner self just sees a sleek black object zooming by.

Yesterday I rented an electric car from Enterprise and skipped the insurance they sell because I didn’t want to pay an extra $18 on top of my $24 rental fee. I drove it carefully, parked it away from other cars and returned it late last night. When I exited the car I noticed that there was sizable scratch and dent on the side of the car. I figure someone hit my car when they were pulling out. My heart sank and I could feel myself getting annoyed and frustrated. 

I kept thinking about it when I walked home last night, thought about it right before falling asleep and worried about it all of this morning. Guess what, I had just finished a fantastic week at work with no drama, no bad events and great interactions with coworkers. But this morning I found myself in a pissy and upset mood. So I decided to write about it.

Here is my conclusion… let it go Dr. Mo! Who gives a shit?! How big of a deal is this in the big scheme of things? I could have gotten hit by truck on my way to work… I could have had the car stolen… or ran over someone with my car. Instead, a scratch and dent showed up on my car. Fine… worst case scenario I have to pay $10k out-of-pocket for paint and body work. Best case scenario they might be able to buff it out for $500 and when I go to pay my bill I might meet this cute little hottie who has everything in common with me and we go on a date, have awesome sex and live happily together ever after.