We can't choose what happens to us, what others do, what others say, or any circumstances that are external to our own control. But we can choose our responses.
When something negative happens or I encounter something that I don't approve of or someone says something that I'm unhappy with, I try to pause and just take up space in that liminal moment. That moment in the transition—the moment between moments—can be very handy.
It gives me time to breathe and consider. I've learned that there's a difference between responding and reacting.
Taking time in the liminal space allows me to avoid the knee-jerk reactions that come as reflex. There are consequences to our responses, just as there are consequences to our actions.
Stephen Covey says, "Between stimulus and response, there is a place where we choose our response." Today, I choose to respond slowly, or at least that's what I will try to do. I'm not always successful, I admit.