feeling crummy

hubby walks through the door, after a long and hard day. i can hear it in his voice from the first syllable, hi. he is not in a good state. all he would be willing to say is...and i'm paraphrasing in 3 words...i feel crummy.

right away i can see the options. i can go down the mental slippery slope, triggering each other into a giant snowstorm. couples have divorced for less. but i didn't choose that. i look at him, nod, say, ah, you are feeling bad. in those few moments i am already filled with gratitude for the fruit of meditation, cultivating witnessing consciousness. i know hubby is not those bad feelings. i know those bad feelings have nothing to do with me. i have the capability not to react to those feelings. i don't push them away. i don't ignore them. there's nothing wrong with him having mental weather. it will go away unless he holds onto it. and sure enough, he doesn't.

as a matter of fact, he goes one step further, he realizes he has to nib negativities in the bud.