Rise above events that are inconsequential - both bad and good for they are not worth disturbing your equanimity.
-Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lefin, Cheshbon HaNefesh
"With two outs in the bottom of the 9th of the deciding game of the 2012 World Series, the count went to 2 strikes. My brain started racing: one more strike and the Giants are going to win…wow, that will be their second World Series…there will be another parade. I found myself getting more and more excited. Then I started to get anxious—if they lose today, they could go on and lose the whole World Series.
At the time, I was practicing equanimity. Out of the blue, I realized that the more my mind was racing off into the possible future, the less I was paying attention to the game. I made a conscious effort not to go down that road of becoming super excited. I took a deep breath, and was able to be calm and remain in the moment. When Sergio Romo, the Giants relief pitcher threw a fastball instead of a slider, and struck out Cabrerra, I was still super happy and excited. However, I did not have an overlay of super franticness. I was much calmer, and I remember the moment with a richness that I might not have if I had allowed my adrenaline free reign.
In the following month, I noticed that things that would have brought me down didn’t have the effect on me that I anticipated they would. By limiting my reactions to positive experiences, I strengthened my soul and made it resilient to the downs that came later. "
- Greg Marcus, The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions p182-183
Discussion Question: With a partner, share a time or circumstance when your mind races into the future and you get "too high." How might you work to keep yourself on an even keel?