The young man in the meeting was very angry and upset. His lawn mover had broken down. He was having a cookout in his back yard that evening, the yard looked terrible, and he'd paid a lot of money for that mower! After he went on for some time, an older woman gently interrupted him and asked, Was anyone hurt? Was there danger? Would your guests walk out? And finally, Did you lose your sobriety over it? The young man smiled, as he answered no to all the questions. No, it was not that important after all.
We all overreact sometimes to situations, people, and events that, later, we see were really not important. The next time we are bothered by someone or something that threatens to ruin our day, we will try to remember to ask ourselves. How important is it? If it's not important, we'll spend our time and energy on what is important. There is a world of difference.
Today help me to know what is important, to forget what's not, and ask others for perspective when I'm not sure.
