I was driving on the 605 southbound freeway earlier this afternoon on my way to Westminister to get my body massage fix, merging onto 405 southbound. I was with no one except my best selection of music playing and my thoughts. It is a refreshing activity spending time with my thoughts, for that is when I get to express my best self, as paradoxical as it may seem. As I was relishing that golden time I haven’t had in over a week, I found myself thinking out loud, and these words surfaced in my head:

“How others treat you doesn’t define who you are, but it defines a lot who they are in so far as they are ones doing it. What defines you, however, is how you react to how others treat you. If others treat you like nothing but a piece of crap, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are one. If you others treat you like a king (or a queen), that’s good, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are one. The bottom line is, what you are depends a lot on who you believe yourself to be. It is easier said than done, but it is a challenge worth overcoming, if you can’t put who you think you are in a positive light. Anything that happens to you don’t strictly define who you are.”

It’s quite a thought that got my day off go smoother than it already had been. I assure you, a lot of good thoughts come to me when I do my favorite activity: contemplation.