On thinking less

It's easy to get stressed out, living in New York City. It's even easier when you already have things going on in your life to push you over the edge. I was in the movies the other night, very crowded theater, and a guy walked by, asking if the seat next to me was taken. He responded with an ugly obscenity. It bugged me, of course, even the couple sitting next to me commented on it. I had to not take it personally - he was upset because he couldn't find a seat more than 2 feet away from the screen and was taking it out verbally. Well... he should have showed up 45 minutes early like everyone else.

Anyway, that anecdote is neither here nor there, but one of the many situations in which I am trying to combat stressors before they even think about manifesting my being. I have a to do list a mile long but I need to relax and remember that these things will all get accomplished before I leave. I have not been sleeping well, not because I lay awake thinking about these things but they probably have become so pervasive in my mind that I'm subconsciously thinking about it.

One thing on the list is seeing everyone I want to see before I leave. It's almost impossible to make time for everyone - they have busy lives too. What's funny is that some friends I only see about once a year, so actually it is no big deal if I don't see them until next summer. Funny though - I randomly bumped into a friend last Saturday and then one yesterday. They aren't close enough that I might have called them to make plans before I leave, so I was really happy to have run into them by chance.