It happens regularly.

How could it not happen?

I have four children.

As much as they love each other, not a day goes by without a fight in my household.

One child looks at another child the wrong way.

Cross words are exchanged that escalate into a shouting match.

When the noise level rises too quickly, I have to separate the fighters.

Time to cool off, I tell them.

Then I inquire what is going on that got them so upset.

There is always blaming the other child.

After the venting is over, I chime in with a common refrain.

I remind them that they can’t control their brother or sister.

They can only choose how they will react.

Humans are an interesting species.

Humans are physiologically different than every other animal on earth.

Our brains are biologically different.

The big difference in humans is where the input region and where the output region of the brain is located.

The input region is on one side of the brain, and the output region is on the other side of the brain.

In all other animals, the input region and the output region are right next to each other.

For most animals, they receive an input, and then they react.

There is no thinking involved.

A deer sees food, and it eats.

Something startles a snake, and it strikes at what startled it.

However, we humans have some time to react when we receive a stimulus.

We could smell a cookie and chose not to devour the scrumptious delight.

Someone yells at us, and we can choose to ignore the chiding.

We can use our brains to choose a different path than our animal counterparts.

We’re facing a scary and challenging time with the coronavirus.

Things have been going so well for so many years, and now we are faced with a national emergency.

A crisis that came out of nowhere.

A crisis that will cripple some, slow down others, and emboldens yet others.

The difference is the way each of these people react.

When we face challenging times, we are put to the test to see what we are made of.

During difficult times we need to remain calm and act with prudence.

When we panic, too often, we make choices that set us back.

When the anxiety rises to a fever pitch, pause and take a moment to come back to a calm state before you overreact.

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