I was about to say something like, "I am so sorry for making you wait so long for Part II of 'Recalibration'," but then I realized that I would be lying if I said that, because I feel no remorse at all whatsoever actually. Which is terrible, but true. I just haven't cared enough to continue this discourse, and I'd venture to imagine that you (whoever you are) have not really cared all that much, either. But! I started a thought, so I do feel obligated to finish it. And my finishing is going to run something like this... (read on...)!
Recalibration, my darlings, is a very simple concept, really. First, though, it will help to remind ourselves what plain old calibration is. Very well: to calibrate is to "divide or mark with gradations, graduations, or other indexes of degree, quantity, etc., as on a thermometer, measuring cup, or the like," according to one definition. In other words, calibration is drawing lines that mark out specific measurements; so recalibration must mean to do that process over again, with the implication that this time around, we will be changing where the lines fall. Apply the principles of this process to difficult situations in your personal life, and you have the essence of the way "recalibration" is understood in the wonderful world of interpersonal communication (and other wonderful worlds, too, such as my wonderful world). This may sound a little vague to you at the moment, so let's see this concept in action, shall we?
Hypothetical situation: You get to be very good friends with a lovely person at college. Then you find out that at the end of this semester, said lovely person will be permanently moving to another continent. (I have been in this situation numerous times, so it seemed like a natural illustration of my point.)
Initial response: "It's so unfair! I finally get to know this fantastic person, and in a few months, we will be separated forever! Why did I have to invest so much time and energy into this friendship, anyway? Now it's just going to hurt all the more when we say goodbye."
Recalibration: "I am so fortunate to have crossed paths with this incredible individual. Just think - if things had been even slightly different, I could have completely missed out on this opportunity! I'm glad we met and got to know each other. My life is richer because of it, and no one can take that away from me."
Just shift your sights ever so slightly, and you'll get a whole new picture. That's the essence, the fascinating essence, of recalibration. This same basic concept can also be encapsulated in much more common phrases such as, "Look at the bright side!" or "Don't think of the glass as half-empty; think of it as half-full." But I tend to avoid phrases like these because, well, my official position in the optimism-pessimism dichotomy is toward the pessimism side, and since I enjoy that about myself, I just don't go around telling my friends and relations to "look at the bright side!" I have my reputation to consider, you know. I prefer to the cryptic nature of that one little big word: recalibrate. Now you know what it means. So now you have to try it for yourself.
Go on. Once never hurts.
