Years ago I taught this class for high school students on critical thinking. One kid, kind of a slacker who I sometimes suspected of being stoned, came in during the third week of class, slouched in his seat, groaned and said, "This class is driving me crazy. You've got me thinking about my thinking."
Lately I have been thinking about my own thinking. More specifically, I have been thinking about anxiety and excitement. Closely related, it is sometimes it is hard to distinguish between the two. Both arise from anticipation. I feel anxious when I anticipate that something terrible is going to happen; I feel excited when I anticipate that something wonderful will happen. It's all crazy, since I have no way of knowing what the future holds.
Feelings of excitement or anxiety serve as reminders to return to the present moment. I hope that kid learned as much from the critical thinking class as I did. I'm still learning...
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