On growing sweet mangoes

The doggies were FOUND.  Well, one found his way home after FIVE DAYS, and the other was picked up by some kind passersby & brought to the SPCA.  It totally fits with their personalities that Bentley found his way back (with a mouthful of 4-day-old porcupine quills, no less), while Miles relied on the kindness of strangers & his adorable sad face.  I kind of couldn't believe we got them both back after SO LONG.  They were thinner and a little (or a lot) worse for the wear, but they're back and they're getting fatter again already.   We are all SO LUCKY.  I love those jerks!
Still, somehow the anxious feeling in my chest hasn't gone away.  And it's not because I'm not relieved or happy that they're back.  But I think once I got into the mode of stressing over things, I kind of got stuck.  It's like that event opened up a well that I'm having a hard time containing.  I did go to yoga Friday morning & that helped a lot.  I realized I'd fallen of the yoga wagon over the last few weeks.  The stressful and busy times are when  we need to recenter ourselves the most, and yet it seems that these are the times when we're least likely to heed what our souls are trying to tell us.  Saturday, Pantz & I worked outside in the awesome weather all afternoon.  Talk about therapeutic.  I planted my little garden & some herbs & worked on the plants out front.  So satisfying.  I really just need to be better at listening to myself.  It's easy to find inner peace when everything around you is staying the same, but when problems are coming at you from all directions, how do you react then?  That's the real trick.
A few things I've heard recently that resonated with me.  These are paraphrased:
"When you're experiencing a (negative) emotion, let it move through you.  Let is pass through, experience it, but then send it up vertically.  In yoga we say, give it to the guru.  Or give it to God or the Universe--whatever works for you.  But send it up vertically, not out horizontally (toward those around you)."  It's helping me to visualize the feelings sent vertically, not horizontally.  I don't want more negativity floating around in the world--I'd rather be a source of good.
"If you want sweet mangoes, you have to water the mango tree, not the weeds around the mango tree."  The place that our thoughts and feelings dwell is the water.  I want to water positive thoughts and feelings--focus my attention on the good things around me.  That will make sweet mangoes.  Dwelling in anger and frustration is watering the weeds.  I want sweet mangoes.
"The only person you need to be better than is the one you are today."
Oh yeah, and if you ever got the chance to see Regina Spektor live, GO.  She's wonderful, as was the company.