1394 Calm Sphere

I sometimes imagine that I’m surrounded by a transparent sphere, almost a forcefield, that protects me from the craziness, because just on the other side the world seems to be in chaos, from my perspective at least. I call it my “calm sphere,” and recommend it to my friends & family. We all have an idealized version of our life that everything would be perfect if just a few things were fixed, so except for those things, our life is calm. However, from the outside, from other people’s points-of-view, those few things, when added to the few things of everybody else, makes everything look nuts: marriages, children, jobs, politics, debt, mental illness, etc., surround us, only held out by your imaginary calm sphere. The important thing about your calm sphere is that you have to believe in it; not like make believe, but you have to know to take care of your own few problems, and don’t let anymore in. Here’s an example: you walk into a grocery store but there’s some gal in a mask wiping down her cart in the doorway, wait, wait, finally she moves enough you can sneak through, your calm sphere protects you from frustration. Inside the store, there are carts going slowly and on the wrong side that you have to maneuver around, and long lines you have to negotiate, so busy yourself inside your calm sphere looking at the magazines or reading your phone, then pay & get out as fast as you can without knocking people over. Shopping is just a metaphor for how to protect all aspects of your life by ensconcing yourself in a calm sphere.