It’s natural that the big moments of adversity and crisis would stand out to us. Epictetus, born into slavery. Marcus Aurelius, betrayed in a coup. Seneca, sent into exile. Musonius Rufus faced exile not once but four times. Porcia Cato and the loss of her father, her husband and her Republic.

The way these Stoics stood up in these crises was profound and brave and worthy of study (see Lives of the Stoics). We wonder what we would do in such circumstances. Would we measure up? Would we step up?

We’re not so sure.

Maybe it’s the wrong question to ask. There is an interesting passage in a old novel by the writer Jean Webster that argues we sometimes overstate or overemphasize these big moments, “Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage,” she writes, “but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh—I really think that requires spirit.”

Instead of wondering, hypothetically, how you might respond to a tyrant like Julius Caesar, it might be better to look at how you’re handling the bully at the office. Instead of wondering how you’d handle poverty or exile, let’s start with how you’re handling the traffic you’re stuck in right at this very moment.

While we don’t know when fate may have big moments of adversity in store for us, what is certain are the petty hazards of the day. These are just as magnificent and important a platform to practice your Stoicism as any historical turning point. They are still opportunities for virtue, however small the stage. Cultivate the spirit and the strength to treat them as such.