Calm after the storm

I've done some more sparring, this time with a guy in my weight class, and while it's fun to do, there's also a small amount of fear and nerves and other non-fun aspects involved.  Taking shots to the face is never fun. Seeing how much of your boxing training you completely forget when you step into the ring is never fun and pushing yourself to the limitations of your physical conditioning is quite taxing on the body. For me, the real enjoyment of sparring comes the next day, when it's all over and I've I had a night to sleep on it. My sparring is always done at night and as soon as it's over my mind tends to be confused, quantifying what I did right, what I did wrong, and so on. But when I wake up the next morning, I am the living embodiment of zen. I'm subdued, calm, peaceful, impervious to stress. Tasks at work I usually dread become simple. Everything is easier when someone isn't trying to punch you in  the face.