But the world we live in pushes and pulls at our attention, so it's easy to lose focus, and sometimes our actions become not-related to our best intentions or values. Much worry can be avoided by remembering that we all suffer from the same tendency to lose focus.

Well, yes and no. Sometimes we use the minutiae to obscure unhappy facts, both within and without—or at least I seem to. Sometimes we slide into mindlessness for reasons that never become clear ... maybe our brains simply aren’t capable of sustaining high levels of mindfulness that long. It’s certainly a complicated dynamic.

Sometimes the best gift you can give yourself - and therefore to those who love you - is to say, "No. I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

I’m working on that still ...