Some days the worry is everything at once: the weather, the news, what someone else might do. Epictetus drew a quiet line down the middle of life. On one side sit your own thoughts, your effort, the way you answer a hard moment. On the other side sits everything outside you, which was never yours to run. You are not giving up by letting the outside be. You are putting your hands on the one lever that actually moves. Start December here, with that small, steadying line. When your mind reaches for a worry, ask gently whether it sits on your side or the other. Tend your side well, and let the rest be.

Inspired by the old idea of dichotomy of control. Written by Ugo Charles.