Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.

In what is normally a quiet seaside community, the neighbors who live across the street for me had a large gathering in their house last week, which meant more cars than usual were parked all over the neighborhood.

One of those vehicles partially blocked my next-door neighbor's driveway, not so much that she couldn't get in and out of her garage necessarily, but definitely with more difficulty than usual as it was partially obstructed.

I'm just setting the scene because people often describe everyday scenarios to me

and ask me how they should respond whether it be at home, at work, or out in

public. What's funny is that as you know I don't believe in telling anyone what they should or shouldn't do, so regardless of the situation my answer is always the same.

A peaceful person responds to situations peacefully while an angry person reacts angrily.

A pessimist assumes the worst in people while an optimist tends to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, maybe even to a fault.

There is no right or wrong way to respond yet people

over explain the details to me because they're looking for some sort of

permission or validation that their behavior was all right, but who am I to judge?

I just point out that we are not defined by the circumstances in our lives.

Our identity and personality is actually shaped by how we choose to behave in various situations.

Most people blame how they are on what happens, but I'd like us to consider how much of what happens

is shaped by how we are.

Let me get back to the car block in the driveway scenario. How would you respond?

Would you simply let it go? Knowing full well, the driver will soon leave and what has never

happened on your block before will likely never happen again?

Would you leave a note on their windshield alerting the driver to the inconvenience they've caused?

Would you knock on the door and ask them to move the car?

Would you call the police or a tow truck? Or would you, as my neighbor

opted to do, immediately erect a large homemade wooden sign staked in the front yard with big capital letters painted in red spelling no parking.

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