Universe: Good afternoon, dear one.

Me (Alexandra): Hello there. It is quite a good afternoon.

U: We saw you shed a few tears this morning.

A: Yes, for the loss of my dear Don. But now I’m okay.

U: How so?

A: You know that idea you sent me by way of James R. Doty, about meditating on words represented by the first 10 (12 in my version) letters of the alphabet?

U: Yes?

A: Well letter E for Equanimity has proven itself to be a quality-of-life changer.

U: Indeed?

A: Yes indeed! Yesterday I was late (as usual) to get to my hairdresser. Instead of sliding pellmell down the slippery slope of stressed-out panic I took a small breath and said out loud, “Equanimity.” You would think it was a Harry Potter magic-wand spell! I became calm. The traffic was calm on my drive there and therefore fast-moving. I calmly found a parking spot close to the ATM I needed to get cash from. Then finding a parking spot close to the hairdresser’s was calm, and she was fine with my arrival time. So being calm got me there faster than if I’d been panicked and stressed!

Then this morning I found myself triggered by something, and I cried a few tears for my friend Don. I’d gone through all of the 12 qualities earlier on my walk, and although I didn’t consciously think about equanimity in the moments I cried, I returned to calmness very soon.

“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.” ~ James Allen

U: We congratulate you, dear one.

A: Thank you! This is certainly a change for me. I never thought about equanimity at all in the past. Which is perhaps why I didn’t have much of it! I even had to look it up, to be sure I understood what it means. Oxford Languages says: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.

Way back in my druggy days I was always talking about balance. Where was it? How to have it? How come I didn’t have it? Like peace of mind, I knew inner balance was possible, because other people had it. But I certainly didn’t.

So now I’m getting a taste of this balance, this equanimity, I wanted to find out more. I found an excellent article on PositivePsychology.com.

I learned that developing equanimity:

• promotes:better decision-making (I can use that)
• reduces stress
• contributes to psychological wellbeing by fostering a balanced mindset
• promotes the ability to remain calm, composed, open, and non-reactive in the face of challenging or distressing situations
• promotes resilience, emotional regulation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility
• promotes ethical conduct and spiritual development

So to me, it’s like surfing the waves of life’s vicissitudes.

U: Just so. We trust you continue to be a good student of life, and a good surfer of life, also, dear one. It will go well with you.

“Like the ocean that remains calm in its depths even when waves rage over its surface, and like the sun that continues shining on high even during storms, we can at each moment create value and develop our state of life, enjoying our existence to the fullest in times of both suffering and joy.” ~ Daisaku Ikeda

Photo by Kristin Wilson on Unsplash