In Lynn Ungar’s poem, “In the Moment,” there is a gentle, almost chiding, call for us to step back from railing that “everything has gone off script” (which is both futile and exhausting), and instead “play the scene you’re in.” And isn’t that really all we can do?

Rather than leaving us feeling defeated or asking us to be more Zen-like and unattached than we may have the capacity or temperament for, she reminds us that we can do something about the scene we’re in. We can use the creative “yes/and” of improv to “shift the plot.”

I like that Ungar suggests we shift the plot, not rewrite it. Signaling that we don’t have to make huge changes, instead we can take the situation we’re in and try to see things differently.

Last night, I went to a community meeting on an issue I have strong feelings about. I worked on this reflection before going. Under its influence, I resolved to try and be more open to what others might say. I heard things in the presentation that I didn’t agree with and asked questions challenging some of the points. But I, and all the others in the room, spoke respectfully. While I still disagreed with some of the people, I began to understand why they felt the way they did.

I didn’t get the outcome from the meeting that I was hoping for and left feeling disappointed. But less intensely so than in the past. That’s a shift I can live with.