This Freedom

When we are open to them, life is full of reminders that we are not machines, that every situation gives us a choice of how we will or won’t respond. Therein lies our freedom!
​
Once again,
you have “pushed my button”
(or so my thoughts
would tell me).
​
And so,
I would feel compelled
to push back at you,
if my thoughts were true,
if that button were real.
​
But, as I stand aside
and watch this parade
of thoughts and feelings,
as if on the shore
of a roiling stream,
I may choose to only watch,
and not jump in.
​
Thank you,
my would-be adversary,
for this reminder,
that I have always had
this freedom,
to engage or not engage,
no matter what you do.