crazygorgeouslife.blogspot.com
Come on over all you crazy, gorgeous people!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Taking a breath
Oh how I have missed this.
I love this blog.
I will be absent for a while longer, in part because I have just started a new blog that I will be writing on nearly every day for the next year. I am super excited about it and would love to see you there!
Much Love!
Bethany
I love this blog.
I will be absent for a while longer, in part because I have just started a new blog that I will be writing on nearly every day for the next year. I am super excited about it and would love to see you there!
Much Love!
Bethany
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Slack
Humans. We need a whole lot of slack don't we? We are not that smart. We run our mouths before we run our brains. We get all worked up over teeny tiny things. We get swamped my emotions without real cause. Most of us need a spiritual chiropractor to align our ego, heart, higher-self and rational-self with one swift soul popping adjustment. Alas, spiritual chiropractors don't exist, so we shamble on in our best, if unbalanced, interpretation of what it means to be human.
Case in point:
I hate waiting. Rage flares inside me like dragon fire. I am embarrassed to admit that. I have to breathe deeply and occasionally tap dance in the check-out line to stay calm.
Yet, not too many years ago, I was in line at a thrift store. It was my first time out ALONE since the birth of my second child. My husband worked upwards of 70 hours a week, plus he held a demanding church calling and he home taught five families. I needed adult interaction in an "if you are on my eye level I will talk to you" sort of way. There I was, holding two possible fairy outfits for my daughter and unsure of which one to get. I stepped up to the glorious, verbal, cognizant checker and asked her opinion. There were smiles shared and an idea or two passed back and forth. I held up one of the fairy costumes to examine it full length when the gentleman behind me exploded. "LADY, MAKE YOUR DECISION BEFORE YOU GET TO THE COUNTER. THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE (he was the only one there) WHO NEED TO GET GOING. YOU ARE BEING SO RUDE!"
Obviously he was in need of a tap-dance lesson.
Oh fellow human. Did you have any idea that the last five minutes of my golden hour out were spent crying anonymously in a parking lot?
OR
There was a time, shortly after my husband and I were married when finances were tighter than an opera singer's girdle. Sometimes you can stretch paycheck to meet paycheck. Our paychecks never got close enough for a formal introduction. During this time I found a table at a yard sale (my favorite past-time … I pause briefly to offer apologies and congratulations to all those who have become addicted to the sport because of me … now back to the story. I was looking at a table - remember?) This table was mostly oval shaped. It had one end sawn off. Not sure why. Anyway, the owner was asking $8 (a crazy good deal). I asked if she would take $5. She willingly agreed and went to see if her husband would load it into my car. Over on the other side of the driveway, a woman who had never been taught the value of a 12" whisper turned to her daughter and said "Can you believe the nerve?!?! She offered $5! Some people are so greedy."
Oh fellow human. I don't remember what that $3 bought, but I do remember the profound relief I felt when my $5 offer was accepted.
So. In the last few weeks I have had run ins with a few humans. If you were to make one of these humans at home, I would recommend:
1c arrogance
3/4 c unwarranted anger
1/2 c authoritative attitude
1 heaping tablespoon ignorance
porcupine quills to taste
I have been so angry with these people.
My wonderful husband pointed out about one of them, "He probably works with irresponsible people every day." That is quite possibly true. About the other, my husband pointed out that the person didn't know me at all and was just reacting (albeit badly) to the situation.
Logic can be so irritating when your feelings are hurt.
"I am doing my very best," my inner self insists. "I am a rule following, extra-mile going, contributing member of society. I don't deserve to be treated like that."
I can feel my past self putting her arms around me, asking me to see the good in these people. Maybe they were having a horrible day. Maybe they had deep and invisible un-met needs. Maybe someone behind them in line at the thrift store had been mean to them. Maybe there are factors in play that I cannot even imagine.
Perhaps, as I sit up against the sawn-off end of this table, I can create some slack in the rope of my opinion and accept them as … humans.
Case in point:
I hate waiting. Rage flares inside me like dragon fire. I am embarrassed to admit that. I have to breathe deeply and occasionally tap dance in the check-out line to stay calm.
Yet, not too many years ago, I was in line at a thrift store. It was my first time out ALONE since the birth of my second child. My husband worked upwards of 70 hours a week, plus he held a demanding church calling and he home taught five families. I needed adult interaction in an "if you are on my eye level I will talk to you" sort of way. There I was, holding two possible fairy outfits for my daughter and unsure of which one to get. I stepped up to the glorious, verbal, cognizant checker and asked her opinion. There were smiles shared and an idea or two passed back and forth. I held up one of the fairy costumes to examine it full length when the gentleman behind me exploded. "LADY, MAKE YOUR DECISION BEFORE YOU GET TO THE COUNTER. THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE (he was the only one there) WHO NEED TO GET GOING. YOU ARE BEING SO RUDE!"
Obviously he was in need of a tap-dance lesson.
Oh fellow human. Did you have any idea that the last five minutes of my golden hour out were spent crying anonymously in a parking lot?
OR
There was a time, shortly after my husband and I were married when finances were tighter than an opera singer's girdle. Sometimes you can stretch paycheck to meet paycheck. Our paychecks never got close enough for a formal introduction. During this time I found a table at a yard sale (my favorite past-time … I pause briefly to offer apologies and congratulations to all those who have become addicted to the sport because of me … now back to the story. I was looking at a table - remember?) This table was mostly oval shaped. It had one end sawn off. Not sure why. Anyway, the owner was asking $8 (a crazy good deal). I asked if she would take $5. She willingly agreed and went to see if her husband would load it into my car. Over on the other side of the driveway, a woman who had never been taught the value of a 12" whisper turned to her daughter and said "Can you believe the nerve?!?! She offered $5! Some people are so greedy."
Oh fellow human. I don't remember what that $3 bought, but I do remember the profound relief I felt when my $5 offer was accepted.
So. In the last few weeks I have had run ins with a few humans. If you were to make one of these humans at home, I would recommend:
1c arrogance
3/4 c unwarranted anger
1/2 c authoritative attitude
1 heaping tablespoon ignorance
porcupine quills to taste
I have been so angry with these people.
My wonderful husband pointed out about one of them, "He probably works with irresponsible people every day." That is quite possibly true. About the other, my husband pointed out that the person didn't know me at all and was just reacting (albeit badly) to the situation.
Logic can be so irritating when your feelings are hurt.
"I am doing my very best," my inner self insists. "I am a rule following, extra-mile going, contributing member of society. I don't deserve to be treated like that."
I can feel my past self putting her arms around me, asking me to see the good in these people. Maybe they were having a horrible day. Maybe they had deep and invisible un-met needs. Maybe someone behind them in line at the thrift store had been mean to them. Maybe there are factors in play that I cannot even imagine.
Perhaps, as I sit up against the sawn-off end of this table, I can create some slack in the rope of my opinion and accept them as … humans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
