It's the fall that will kill you

There is a great scene from an episode of the West Wing where C.J. tells Josh:

"You guys are like Butch and Sundance peering over the edge of a cliff to the boulder-filled rapids 300 feet below, thinking you better not jump 'cause there's a chance you might drown. The President has this disease and has been lying about it, and you guys are worried that the polling might make us look bad? It's the fall that's gonna kill ya."

That scene always reminds me that it is the little things in life that are more likely to trip you up than the big ones. Big events, big things, are rarely a surprise and there is usually some way of preparing for it, if not guarding against it. It's the little things - the small, easy to ignore moments, that can pile up and before you know they're threatening to push you over the edge.

I'm pretty good at rolling with things - I rarely get too up or too down. My friends would probably use 'steady' as an adjective when it comes to me but I have noticed more and more that if I'm not willing to make a course correction when little things pop up then they become boulders blocking my way as I try to roll along.

I have always believed in taking the higher road, in not wasting energy in engaging in petty sniping. Note here that I'm saying 'I have always believed' which is not the same thing as 'I always have taken the higher road', because, hello? I'm not perfect - and I don't pretend to be.

Now the tricky part for me always comes in trying to draw that line between paying attention to the little things and obsessing over them. The thing with little things is that they grow in to big things if you ignore them but they also grow into big things if you pay them too much mind.

So how do you achieve the balance?

I'm asking because I don't know. I'm asking because there are some small petty things that I'm holding on to and I don't like the anger they encourage in me. One of the downsides about being a Libra is those damn scales have to be in balance or things can get u.g.l.y.

How do you know which little things to watch carefully and which little things to ignore?

On the weekend, I purchased The Tibetan Book of Mediation. While I'm a Catholic who believes in the power of prayer and sanctity of mass, I also believe in karmic balancing. I do believe for every choice, every action we take there is a domino effect that follows. I'm hoping the book, which is proving to be a fascinating read, will help me quiet my mind (oh stop snickering, you know who you are) and figure out some of those answers.

If I do, I'll be sure to let you know. If you have suggestions, post 'em here.

xoxo