64. "Swim on by and enjoy your day."

"Pass by the hooks. Find ways to ignore those little comments or looks that make you so hopping mad. Pretend you are a fish swimming along a mountain stream on a beautiful day and that you spot a fat, scrumptious worm. It lures you, but you are no dummy. You know that there's a big, sharp hook behind it. You have two choices: Bite at the hook and get hurt, or swim on by and enjoy your day.

Next time your parent says something that makes your blood pressure rise, say to yourself, "Aha, that is a hook, and as much as I am drawn to it, I have no intention of biting." Swim on by. Count how many hooks you pass by (one is awfully good) and then try to do better the next time. It will be your own inner victory. With each hook you pass, unfazed and unaffected, you win."

From "How to Care for Aging Parents" by Virginia Morris, Workman Publishing, Ner York