“If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?”

–Rumi

Life can irritate me. There is a new traffic light up in my town. And this morning, when I had to wait for it I wanted to ram my car into the car in front of me. I was running late, and it was the traffic light’s fault. I tried to sit there patiently, thinking of the mindfulness instructor, Ron Siegel, talking about doing taillight meditation. But then I wanted to ram my car into him too. When I don’t practice mindfulness, regularly, when I don’t have some discipline, I find myself irritated by every rub. But when I practice, things are smoother. I realize it’s not the traffic that’s the problem. It’s my reaction to the traffic. And THAT I can do something about.