Hi. My name is Alan and I’m an apocalyptic. No, I’m not expecting the end of the world, it’s just that I’m an all our nothing kind of guy, and that doesn’t often result in equanimity. Today, two marble wall tiles got shattered in the bathroom while work was being done, and in my apocalyptic way of thinking, our bathroom, our apartment was ruined, its value defaced. I saw the enemy and he is us. I left the apartment and thought about it a bit. I can accept the stimulus, see it for what it is, and refuse the pattern of my response and its trajectory. I thought how easy it might be to go back and tell the worried workmen, no harm done, we’ll find some tiles that match more or less, and we’ll let it go. We were all relieved. As the guys were leaving they asked me in halting English, what kind of blood I have. Red, they asked? You’re so easy going they said in so many words. What power there is in patterns and what power there is, what possibilities lie, in breaking them. Now, the Alexander Technique (you knew I was going there) there’s a place where you can break all kinds of patterns, habitual patterns, even apocalyptic ones. Today, was a good day. Did I practice the Alexander Technique? I think I did.