*1114 - yoga quote of the day

I have come to a frightening conclusion.
I am the decisive element in the classroom.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis
will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized

- Haim Ginott

Remove all the "teacher" or "child" references and apply it to your life. While we are not in control of situations, we are in control of our actions, and that is to a scary extent what makes our world miserable or joyous. Make a choice and choose love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (wow, having Galatians 5:22 hanging on your childhood bathroom wall that you stared at everyday as you pooped has ingrained the fruit of the Spirit deeply in my mind). It can be hard but this is one thing I have to learn. Swallow my pride or impatience or grumpiness and choose to smile instead, and it could avert an unnecessarily petty quarrel or a heavy mood that evening. Yes? :)