Mmmm... that's good zen

Coffee with Big D today. Ran into a coworker while we were heading over to the coffee shop. Damnit. I was wearing the same clothes that I wore to work yesterday, so here's to hoping he was too laden down with children to have picked up on that.
Another great conversation. I think the gist is this: we're all dealing with issues. People that give the outward appearance of calm are most likely faking. If you are trying to improve yourself that's good. If you fall of the path to goodness, that's okay too as long as you keep trying to be good.
I called Michael who, as it was 3pm on a Saturday, was at work. When I win the lottery... anyways. I said that I'd had another great conversation about self improvement with Big D and he was like, "You guys still trying to wake the giant within?". Self improvement is kind of funny. I was like, "Yeah. I'm shaking the giant. I'm kicking the giant. I'm screaming, 'the coffee is made, get up, let's GO!'" and we laughed about that. Similar to my conversation with Po last night when she told me she had said to a guy that expressed an interest in her, "What you're probably picking up on is that I'm really open to the universe right now" and I put down my glass of Carmenere and said, "What kind of hippy bullshit is that?" which I think initially offended her because she didn't realize that I was kidding until I revealed that I have been very much trying to be more focused and calm and receptive these days.
This blog is kind of all over the place because I just want to interject that the Robot Liberator lent me the "Version" album by Thievery Corporation, as well as another CD of Indian fusion music and it rocks and I'm listening to it right now and it's just such good shit which is why I don't care that it's 3:44 and it's raining and the only the thing that I've accomplished today is coffee with Big D.
At any rate. Not that anyone cares, but here are some of the things that I've been doing and learning in an attempt not to end up in an insane asylum, bouncing of padded walls while muttering "such low voter turnout... general apathy towards the state of humanity... inefficiencies... eradication of the middle class... crap media... Bill O'Reilly is an asshat".
I can't obsess about the big things in life because I can't change them. I mean, I can. I suppose I could join the Red Cross or become a volunteer or get into politics, but I'm not going to do any of those things (at least not right now). So I will take the weight of the world off my shoulders, because burdening myself with it harms no one but me (and those around me to whom I endlessly rant).
I can put my most positive face forward, because you get back what you put out there. If you smile at someone, they're most likely going to smile back. I have discovered that everyone tends to withdraw into themselves, but given half a chance people are willing to strike up conversations on elevators, in grocery stores, waiting for the bus, etc.
I can look at things from a different point of view, since there are more POVs than just mine (who knew!).
I can forgive myself for not being perfect. No one has ever asked that I be perfect, so why do I expect it of myself?
Um, that's pretty much it.
Zen be upon you.