Whenever people asked me, “How are you?” I used to have one of two frequent responses:
– “I am fine.”
– “Busy, busy.”

I found both responses to be unsatisfactory.  So recently, I decided to change my response to, “I am happy and at peace” whenever it is true.  And since I am happy and at peace a lot, thanks to my years of mindfulness training, even when I’m busy and feeling overwhelmed (which also happens a lot), it is fast becoming my default response.

To my surprise, I found that response to have a big impact on others.  Some people tell me that when they hear that response, they immediately also feel happy and at peace.  Wow.  The simple act of articulating your own inner well-being can inspire others.  Very cost-effective.

I also discovered that responding that way has an impact on me.  When I stop saying, “I’m busy, busy” and start saying “I’m happy and at peace”, my frame of reference changes.  I stopped seeing my being as an island of peace surrounded by a sea of busy-ness, and started seeing it as an island of busy-ness surrounded by a sea of peace.  The circumstantial situation is unchanged, but the mind frames it differently, and that change in framing alone changes the mental and emotional state.  It makes the mind perceive the peace more easily than it usually does, and what the mind can perceive easily, it can indulge in easily.  So mind changes its indulgence from busy-ness to peace.

I hope you too are happy and at peace, my friend.