Originally posted on Facebook HERE
Why are we so quick to be unhappy? It seems like so many things can be irritating, right? The guy going 45mph in a 55mph zone in a no passing area… the political post you see that goes against everything you believe in… the unexpected bill… the size of the unexpected bill… the offhand remark of a friend that hits a sore area for you.. and all of a sudden in the middle of a day that’s been going great – we’re pissed off. Is there a way to shut off anger as our default setting? Please let me know if you have this one figured out, because I’m stupid quick to all my emotions. Unfortunately, this includes anger. It also includes love, and sadness, and gratitude, and everything in between. But in those moments when we’re screaming “representative! REP-RE-SENTATIVE!!!” into the phone while waiting for our English as a second language person to pick up after a 15-30 minute hold only to have the call drop (somehow we’ve all been there, right?)… is there a way do destress it a bit? Er no? I’d hate to be the person answering those calls. Everyone coming in hot. Maybe those are the people that have this question answered, right? You get so conditioned to people being in your face that nothing phases you. But, the older I get the more I try to maybe look at – what’s going on inside me that makes me so quick to be angry all the time? When I can laugh at the slow driver and just realize – you know – maybe God is trying to teach me something here about the speed of life? That will be a good day. Oh, and while I’m in the middle of being pissed off about that guy – reminding me of my post from this week won’t necessarily help at all, either. Doh!… But I digress. I think all we can do is recognize the issue first, then seek to catch ourselves in those moments and pause. Let them have their political opinion. Let the unjust bill you just received, which always seems to come in the Saturday mail, right? – let it sit until you can call them on Monday to discuss. Don’t let it ruin you day, or worse yet – your weekend. Let the friends casual remark go for now, and maybe mention it when you’re not so supercharged with emotion? And maybe try to be the one person who’s nice to the agent who gets to answer the phone after a 30 minute wait. Find something to do while on hold. Maybe surf the web, there’s probably something there that’ll piss you off even more! Ha!… (OK, that was a joke for those of you who don’t understand sarcasm). The bottom line is – we can’t be a happier, healthier, kinder society when anger is so close to the surface it’s almost a default setting. Let love be the default setting. So much easier said than done. But we won’t get anywhere until we realize it, catch ourselves doing it, and change accordingly. I wish you well on your journey today. But if that ball comes in my yard one more time, kid – I’m keeping it!
