What does actually matter?

Some days when in meditation, I can start thinking about trivial things that don't really matter.  Well maybe they did, but perhaps they don't or shouldn't anymore.  You know, that neighbor that used to give you the shits, or that person who honked their horn at you, or maybe that prick who knows he owes you money but won't hand it over without you hassling him?  These things that bother me sometimes pop up in moments of stillness and I think they do for a reason.  

A technique that I like to explore sometimes is to look back at these past events or things or people who have disrupted my life, made me feel unpleasant or served me in a way that has made me mad and feel within myself whether or not I still hold feelings about them.  Often times when I think that I have moved on, I find that these feelings still hold a place inside myself and so I have to work on actually letting them go.  

Throughout this exploration, often times what I have found to be an effective method of letting these things go is reframing the situation in a way that I actually feel grateful.  I've come to learn that it is almost impossible to feel angry and grateful about something at the same time and so that's what I try to think about!  I'm grateful that I'm no longer sitting traffic, running late to work, I'm grateful that that prick who owes me money is actually my friend and would probably lend me some if i needed it too and I'm grateful that I no longer live next to that shitty neigbor who used to trash my bikes and steal my plants! 🖕