I read a great book this week by Darci Lang that reminded me of the timeless truth that I only have control over how I react and what I think about. We don’t in fact have a ton of control over the hassles of a day, the moods of others, even how others perceive us or like us. A friend likes to kick off every morning with a text and this week she offered a text with an image that said “the same boiling water that softens the potato, hardens the egg. Its about what you are made of, not the circumstances.” It was amazing how this lined up so well with what I was reading. I think I know part of what we think when we hear these messages. Our minds can start to think- well, but what about the grumpy neighbour? How does my just adjusting my feelings get back to him to take him down a peg or two? Wouldn’t yelling and starting a gnome war be more productive. I think what Darci and whoever came up with the potato lesson had in mind was us. Our peace, our hearts, our time, our day. Not that hiding the neighbour’s favourite gnome does not elicit some mischievous joy, but in fact the neighbour is in charge of themselves and their world view that has brought on their decade long mood. We can’t change that by matching the anger or sullenness. And all our efforts to try to change him are in fact, you guessed it, only affecting our own day and emotional state. If we buy right in that our inner peace and calm and happiness are the prime directive, it is amazing how differently we look at the world. Like anything it will take practice, and recommitment all the time, but Darci argues that if we stop letting our emotions get hijacked by those around us and focus on our mindset- mashed potatoes abound.
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