Many years ago I was traveling and stopped at a donut shop in a small town. A young woman was working behind the counter, and I noticed that she had a tattoo of words on her left arm, but the words were upside down to me.
There was nobody else there at the time, so I said something like, “May I ask about your tattoo? It looks interesting.” I’m always fascinated by tattoos, because I assume they’re an expression of a person’s personality.
She moved her arm around so I could see the words, and explained that she gets nervous and panics a bit at times, like when the store gets busy. So at the store she’ll take someone’s order, then turn around like she’s getting the donuts, but look at her arm and read the words to herself as a way to calm down (like reminding oneself of a mantra).
I always thought that was smart, and I think of it myself when my own life gets hectic.
