X-Message-Number: 20743
From: 
Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 10:39:47 EST
Subject: adjusting

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For Rudi Hoffman--

Yes, someone is listening and empathizing, so posting, as you say, is cheap 
therapy.

When Mae was a counselor, sometimes she would let her frustrated or enraged 
clients throw dishes at a wall. I don't know how much it helped, or whether 
the relief lasted. 

In general, the trick is to do whatever can be done about the particular 
problem on a practical level, and then turn your energies elsewhere. 

There is so much misery and injustice everywhere that one can only survive by 
ignoring most of it and accentuating the positive, as they say. It bothers me 
that so many birds and other animals, sometimes dogs and cats, are freezing 
and starving out there. Sometimes I feel guilty about eating (a little) meat, 
knowing the prevailing conditions of life of domestic meat animals. (No, I 
don't worry much about all the unfortunate people--I simply can't afford 
that.) 

Another little trick that sometimes works for me is to remember that, in a 
sense, most people should not really count as "people" in your personal 
universe. They are just part of the environment, and should be regarded 
impersonally. If the wind chills you or the rain wets you, you don't rage 
against it, you just deal with it and carry on.

Bob

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