React or Respond?

Today, a guy in Earthfare accidentally jumped the queue. I assumed it was just that — an accident — and the words that playfully came out were, "Are you jumping the queue?"

Almost immediately I added, "Sorry if I didn't make it clear I was in the queue."

His reaction really threw me. He accused me of "causing drama" and didn't seem to move when I pointed it out. I asked calmly, "Are you actually jumping the queue?" He responded by telling me to just walk in front of him — but there was no space between him and the next person.

I stayed calm throughout, even though I felt a charge in my body. I didn't escalate or feed into it. His tone, however, was very rude. I felt it was important to name that, and I did so gently. He deflected by saying, "Now you're gaslighting me," and then muttered that I was an idiot.

I said firmly and clearly, "Do not call me an idiot." At that point, others stepped in and called him out. I could feel the energy in the space shift — people were with me.

As I walked away, I asked that we all breathe, and I consciously sent love and appreciation into the space before slipping out. It had already been quite an emotional day. I guess it was for him too.

This experience has been deepening my appreciation for spiritual practice. Lately, that's included breathwork, Kundalini yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Qigong, and meditation.

I'm learning a meditation technique called Mind Purification. The practice involves observing sensations and following the breath. As we do this, impurities begin to surface.

What are impurities? One way to describe them is as shadows — unconscious, reactive patterns within us, often rooted in trauma.

When we react impulsively to a situation without conscious awareness or choice, that's an impurity expressing itself. This isn't to say that any part of the soul is impure — only that some parts of us remain caught in the grip of attachment.

When an impurity arises that we don't want to face in ourselves, we tend to dissociate from it and identify with a false self. This goes against the natural flow of life, because it's born of ignorance rather than clarity — of ego rather than freedom.

Through conscious awareness and attention to the breath, these impurities can be seen — and one by one, they begin to dissolve. We can then meet the world with response instead of reaction. Triggers will always arise; we might as well learn to meet them in ways that create our lives consciously.

If you could choose how to respond to any given moment, with clarity and a clear north… what would that change for your life?