Yesterday my patio turned into a wildlife documentary.

Two men. One woman. And I CHOSE not to join the dance.

Ground zero for yesterday’s wildlife documentary

Yesterday morning I was sitting on my patio drinking coffee.

Ken was sitting there too. We were just talking

.

At one point he said, “I saw Greg walking toward the market last Saturday with a woman.”

I looked at him and shrugged.

Greg has told me he likes to walk with a friend sometimes. I don’t know who the woman was. And honestly, I’m not Greg’s keeper.

So I told Ken that.

“I don’t know, Ken. I’m not Greg’s keeper.”

We went back to talking.

About ten minutes later, Greg walked onto the patio

.

He came over, stood behind my chair, and put his hand right on my shoulder.

Now here’s the funny part.

All of a sudden I felt like I was sitting in the middle of a nature show.

You know those shows where two lions slowly circle each other?

That’s what it felt like.

Two grown men.

One woman sitting there with her coffee.

And suddenly the air felt… territorial.

No yelling.
No fighting.

Just little moves.

One man stands closer.
The other man adjusts his spot.

Quiet signals that say,
“I’m here.”

And there I was.

Watching the whole thing.

Now here’s the interesting part.

The old Monica would have jumped in.

She would have joked.
Flirted a little.
Tried to make everyone feel comfortable.

She would have worked hard to smooth out the awkward moment.

She would have made their problem her job.

But this time?

I didn’t move.

I stayed in my chair.
I sipped my coffee.

And I let the lions do their lion thing.

And while I was sitting there watching them…

I realized something.

Most of us have been trained our whole lives
to jump into other people’s emotional situations.

Someone’s uncomfortable.
We fix it.

Someone’s upset.
We smooth it over.

Someone’s competing, sulking, or posturing.

And somehow we end up managing the whole moment.

But yesterday I didn’t.

I stayed where I was.

And it hit me:

Not every awkward moment that walks into your life
is your assignment.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is very simple.

Sit in your chair.
Drink your coffee.

And let the lions do their dance.

Because the minute you stop managing everyone else’s feelings…

You get something back.

And that?

That’s freedom.

And here’s why that matters more than you might think.

Most dreams don’t die because people are lazy.

They die because people are busy managing everyone else.

✔️Busy fixing problems that were never theirs.
✔️Busy smoothing feelings that were never theirs.
✔️Busy showing up for expectations they quietly outgrew years ago.

All of that takes energy.

And energy is exactly what you need to write the book.
✔️Paint the painting.
✔️Start the small business.
✔️Take the class.
✔️Build the life that has been whispering to you for years.

When you stop stepping into every emotional situation around you…

Something surprising happens.

Your energy comes back.
Your curiosity comes back.
Your dreams come back.

And sometimes it starts exactly the way it did for me yesterday.

Sitting in a chair.
Drinking your coffee.
Watching the lions.

And remembering you don’t have to join every dance that happens in front of you.

Your time stays yours.
Your energy stays yours.
Your life stays yours.

Which means you finally have something most people your age never get.

Room.

Room to build the life you actually want.

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