"We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.”
~ Epictetus ~

"Once as I walked into the ladies room at a restaurant, a women came out of the singles stall. We smiled at each other and as I closed the door she began to sing and wash her hands. What a lovely voice I thought. Then as I heard her leave I noticed that the toilet seat was dripping wet. How could anyone be so rude I thought. How did she manage to pee all over the seat? Was she standing on it? Then it came to me that she was a man. A transvestite singing falsetto in the women's restroom. It crossed my mind to go after him and let him know what a mess he's made. As I cleaned the toilet seat, I thought about everything I'd say to him. Then I flushed the toilet. The water shot up out of the bowl and flooded the seat and I just stood there laughing.

In this case the natural course of events was kind enough to expose my story before it went any further. Before I found enquirey I had no way to stop this kind of thinking. Small stories bred bigger ones. Bigger stories bred major theories about life. How terrible it was and how the world was a dangerous place."