There is so much that I cannot control. When my mind, my awareness, is overcome with the pain and the sorrow of the world, and my deepest prayer is to alleviate the suffering of others, I have a choice. I can choose to spiral into despair and panic and overwhelm, which generally makes me quite useless to others. Or I can choose to embody that which I want to flourish in the world. Presence, peace, love, care. I can embody that with the gas station attendant, the grocery store clerk, the neighbor at an airbnb I’m only calling home for two nights