turning Velcro to Teflon

I was in the middle of reading this great piece on how we can intentionally choose kindness over crossness

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_turn_brain_anger_compassion

when a fly settles on my screen. All evening I'd been v irritated by the buzzing, and so with only a momentary hesitation (you can't prevaricate with fly killing) I swatted it. The buzzing continued and I realised it was another fly that had been annoying me, so I'd killed it for nothing.

I decided against spending the rest of the night reflecting on if I'd spared it a frustrating death by not being able to get out of the house, or if I'd broken the heart of the still living fly who had now lost its mate. Instead I tried to focus on the learning from the article. I like the concept of our brains being Velcro for the bad comments/experiences and Teflon for the good; that if someone is rude when 9 others have been kind, we tend to rememeber the rudeness, but could choose instead to celebrate the other 9.

So climbing into bed, where my two lovelies were sleeping as they have been unsettled this week, I decided not to be disheartened at how squished my sleeping space was, knowing I'd wake lots unable to move. I thought of the book I read last month, how in concentration camps people were crowded into uncomfortable bunks accompanied by lice, with no food in their stomachs and no snuggly duvet or mattress for comfort. So to be sandwiched between the two people I love most in the world, with a fulfilling day behind and a day of hope ahead, I was actually v lucky indeed.

I hope you too find ways of letting any irritation slide down your unruffled feathers - good luck!