My Third Noble Truth

If you find yourself in the Washington, DC area one day, you should stop by the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park located near the Woodley Park metro stop. With the recent earthquake in China, hundreds of pandas had to be rescued at the Wolong Nature Reserve and the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. It made me wonder whether or not animals could sense the disaster approaching, and how they choose to communicate with each other in times of panic and fright.

The other night I dreamt of a talking panda holding a group of people hostage, myself included. He chased me but eventually I got away. After looking it up in a dream dictionary, I discovered that giant pandas are a "sure sign" I'm worrying too much and my troubles are in my head. I believe this is true. Not only have I been studying for the last year, but I've been taking board exams for the past six months and I'm scheduled to take the final one in two weeks. I have stressors I never knew existed, I'm not as "chill" as I once was, and student loans are hanging over my head. I start the day with yoga and it helps to ease some constraint, but in the end I still worry about the future. I don't know when it all began, or why I can't train myself to live in this moment without a reminder. ("Don't worry, be happy") I worry that I worry too much. How terrible is that?