Environmentalists talk about "cleaning up after the elephant" — the endless task of cleaning up industrial contamination — and how a far more effective strategy is to avoid fouling up the environment in the first place. Likewise, mindfulness of breathing can be used to prevent the contamination of our inner environment. It helps us tether the elephant of the mind and avoid the imbalances that so frequently come with modern living.

The healing of the body-mind has another significant parallel with environmentalist ideas. When a stream is polluted, one may try to add antidotes to the toxins in the water, hoping such additives will neutralize the damage. But the more straightforward and sensible approach is simply to stop the flow of contamination into the stream. When this is done, over time the flow of the water through soil, stones, and vegetation can purify the stream completely.

—B. Alan Wallace, The Attention Revolution Daily Dose of Wisdom #95

Simply stop contaminating the stream. A wondrous notion.

My stream is fouled with anxiety, distraction, feeling overwhelmed. In response, I'm avoiding things, using alcohol and food, and going to harmful distractions.

Stop the flow of contamination.

Rather than rush to work this morning, I'm typing this. Rather than consuming Tweets, I'm creating this. Rather than a second coffee, I'm sipping water.

I can't clean the stream, but I can choose not to contaminate it further.

Some of this comes down to acceptance. Anxiety isn't poison but resistance to it is toxic. Accepting anxiety allows it to pass and stops the flow of contamination.

There's more to all this, of course. I read the quote only half an hour ago and thought it over in the shower. But it's a simple mantra for today: stop contaminating the stream.

I do, however, have one issue.

over time the flow of the water through soil, stones, and vegetation can purify the stream completely.

Over time? But once I stop contaminating, I want immediate resolution! Turns out, neither the world nor my mind-body operates that way. Damn it.

Maybe today I'll work to stop contaminating the stream and also take time to sit still by it long enough that the water teaches me at least a little bit about how to wait.