The Key to a Good Life

I really try not to stress out or panic about really stupid things like to-do lists or inconvenient surprises, like a minor car accident, but sometimes it's really hard to stay calm and relaxed when things just don't seem to be going your way, even if all the things that aren't going your way are really insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes it takes something significant to happen to remind you how much better life would be if you just took a breath and tried to focus on how lucky you really are when things seem to be against you.
The founder of Camp Longhorn, Tex Robertson, just died. He was 98, and I'm sure most people were expecting that he was not going to be around much longer, but it is still sad news to learn that someone who had an important part in your life, no matter how small, is gone. He did survive the entire summer, though, so every camper this year still completely enjoyed their term.
His family and close friends, however, are now having to deal with a huge amount of grief and all of the frustrating aspects of funeral preparations, etc. All I have to deal with is figuring out when my car will be fixed, and there really isn't much damage. All of my loved ones are fine, I'm not getting evicted, or anything horrible like that, and I'm about to start my last year at Bard, which is exciting and nerve wracking ( in a good way) all at the same time. Being calm is certainly a learning experience, but since I've really been trying, it seems that life has gotten better. It makes me really want to take up Tai Chi.