Marcus began many days by reminding himself he'd meet the difficult, the ungrateful, and the unkind, and that none of it had to disturb him. He didn't expect everyone to be easy. He prepared for the opposite, so that when it came, it didn't knock him over. He also remembered that people act badly mostly from confusion about what's good, not pure malice. You can't control how others behave. You can decide not to hand them your calm. Meeting people as they really are, instead of as you wish they'd be, spares you a lot of fresh disappointment and keeps your own footing under you.

Inspired by the old idea of response not reaction. Written by Ugo Charles.