“My poor granddaughter!” Oma Gosh lamented. “She worked so hard to make the varsity volleyball team, but that finicky coach picked a younger girl in her place. She was heartbroken. Luckily, her friend invited her to join the cross-country team instead. Turns out she actually LOVES cross-country,” Oma sniffed as she took a sip of tea.
Ima Phraid could hardly wait to share her juicy gossip. “Did you hear that Maeby Imsic went in to get some blemishes taken off before her twenty-fifth anniversary party. But that fussy doctor wouldn’t do it until they could do a biopsy. Just imagine! She had to have her party with those unsightly blotches on her neck. How humiliating! I guess they actually did catch and treat the cancer that probably would have killed her. Still, it kind of makes me mad.”
“Hmm,” Donna Worrie chimed in, “sounds like you both need a dose of something called equanimity. It’s a fancy word meaning being even-tempered and composed, especially in difficult situations. Equanimity implies that we actually need to wait and see how something disappointing plays out in the end instead of assuming the worst. I remember years ago I missed a bus to a job interview. I blew my first big career opportunity and sat crying my eyes out when a handsome, young fella came by to comfort me. And now George and I have been married for 40 years! Reminds me of a relentlessly chipper character I saw in a movie once. “It’s always better in the end,” he said. “If you’re not happy; it’s not the end!”
“You know me,” Donna continued, “I’m always reading about the next environmental crisis. There are more than enough to give a person nightmares. But we really don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Fretting about it doesn’t help, but working on solutions does. Take global warming - it’s a huge challenge, but it’s driving some amazing technological advances. New, lower-cost energy options really can create a cleaner, healthier future. We just need to make it happen. The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said, ‘New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.’”
“I get it! No more gossipy moping for me,” Oma cheered. “I’ll help work toward that happy ending because we don’t really have a choice do we. This is our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
Ima Phraid could hardly wait to share her juicy gossip. “Did you hear that Maeby Imsic went in to get some blemishes taken off before her twenty-fifth anniversary party. But that fussy doctor wouldn’t do it until they could do a biopsy. Just imagine! She had to have her party with those unsightly blotches on her neck. How humiliating! I guess they actually did catch and treat the cancer that probably would have killed her. Still, it kind of makes me mad.”
“Hmm,” Donna Worrie chimed in, “sounds like you both need a dose of something called equanimity. It’s a fancy word meaning being even-tempered and composed, especially in difficult situations. Equanimity implies that we actually need to wait and see how something disappointing plays out in the end instead of assuming the worst. I remember years ago I missed a bus to a job interview. I blew my first big career opportunity and sat crying my eyes out when a handsome, young fella came by to comfort me. And now George and I have been married for 40 years! Reminds me of a relentlessly chipper character I saw in a movie once. “It’s always better in the end,” he said. “If you’re not happy; it’s not the end!”
“You know me,” Donna continued, “I’m always reading about the next environmental crisis. There are more than enough to give a person nightmares. But we really don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Fretting about it doesn’t help, but working on solutions does. Take global warming - it’s a huge challenge, but it’s driving some amazing technological advances. New, lower-cost energy options really can create a cleaner, healthier future. We just need to make it happen. The ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said, ‘New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.’”
“I get it! No more gossipy moping for me,” Oma cheered. “I’ll help work toward that happy ending because we don’t really have a choice do we. This is our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
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