Thanks for replying Jack Preston King.

I know what you mean about quoting yourself, but then again Emerson insisted we need more, not less, self reliance. So, there’s that!

The balance you describe — “… to ride the wave of that while staying objective about it. Which is basically describing the notion of being or staying centered” — is critical. And also significantly difficult to establish.

The balance we are talking about here is very delicate. On the one hand, we could say it’s easy — but that’s like saying it’s easy to hang 10 on a surfboard. It’s only easy if you’re very experienced, lol. The same with walking the highwire. Easy for the acrobat, impossible for the rest of us.

For me personally, I engaged in years of formal mindfulness training in the martial arts. I was taught to pay attention to my mind, including where my mind — and that of others — resided. It was challenging, amazing but also at times disturbing training.