Oftentimes we don't realize that we have a choice, we simply react and do, because we are on autopilot. But we do. We have a choice of how to react to someone or to something. I was in a meditation class last night and another attendee explained how potholes make him very angry, and how they trigger the same reaction in him every time. He gets so mad at the authorities for not doing anything about springtime holes in the road. It is quite liberating to realize that you have a choice of how to react. You could of course become angry every time you encounter a pothole, but that becomes silly after a while, and it's not of much use. You upset yourself and the pothole doesn't improve. You could call up the authorities and make them aware of a particularly large and deep pothole that endangers other drivers as well (I did that a few years back and they actually filled the pothole in question pretty quickly). That is empowering - but you can't call up about every pothole. Or you could decide that you no longer wanted to react to that emotional pothole anger trigger and just let it go. So what? It's just a pothole, big deal. Choices....

Some choices are more painful than others. When our head struggles with our heart, and when the head wins and the heart loses it creates even more pain. But the choice is still your's. Consider taking a deep breath before reacting to an emotional trigger person, your mother-in-law or perhaps the noisy neighbor, then remember that you don't have to react with anger, that it is your choice. The ego is reactionary and wants revenge, but at what cost? Tit for tat, of course. The higher self will say "forget about it, it's unimportant, let it go, forgive." That's a more freeing choice.