Keeping on the path...even at work

Everything that I've learned so far in this venture was put to the test yesterday. A test that I don't think I passed, at least not by all that much.

You see, i work in a very fast-paced news environment, and in the news they say it's feast or famine. Since returning back to work after a month or so extended leave, I've maintained a slowed-down, more calm approach, much like what I've applied to the rest of life as of late - and it's worked. I have found myself, simply by slowing down and not getting caught up in the rush of other people's problems, dramas, etc, that I can very much enjoy life and all around me, even when I'm at work.

Last night I felt I lost that a little, and I didn't like it. It was around 4:45, with the news about 15 minutes from going on the air, when we were dropped two very big news bombs - meaning everything had to be rearranged, both in the broadcasts, and online. So, that meant a last minute scramble. Now, what I did was end up getting flustered by trying to get both of these things written for both online and on the air, while fielding questions from a myriad of co-workers. And the end result was feeling like I had dropped all I had learned as of late.

What I should have done was, as the information was coming in, simply look at it, take the time to take it in and process it, and then simply type it. The questions flying at me could have been easily tuned out, but I didn't. I got CAUGHT UP in the frenzy, in the drama...exactly what Buddha has told us is part of the root of so many suffering.

On the bright side, after having felt like I hadn't managed to maintain the calm demeanor I had learned from Siddhartha's teachings thus far, it made me go home after work, relax, read a little more on the Dharma, take a deep breath, and appreciate what was all around me back home.

Breathe. Look around you. Cool. Now, grab a cup of tea and we'll talk a little more Dharma and learn that a few setbacks like yesterday don't mean you've fallen off the path. They just teach you how to stay on the path amid today's world. :)