On being grumpy
I was in a crummy mood all day yesterday (February 4th). I needed to draw deep from my wells of bonhomie as I served at Resurrection House, and came up dry a couple of times.
It all started on Sunday morning. I imagined that I had been slighted by some friends. I was like the whining little boy in the play-ground - “they don’t want to play with me anymore”. I wanted to ream them out.
I nursed my resentment all day long instead of shrugging off what was no more than a m misunderstanding. And it stayed with me through most of Monday.
And, on Sunday night the New England Patriots did not win the Super Bowl. On the grand scale of things that matters not a whit. But even though I do not understand American Football, and never watch it on T.V. I wanted my “home team” to win and their unexpected loss increased my feelings of “grumptitude”.
Monday afternoon I stopped into see Ben Morse since his late partner Bruce Wirtz’s son Andrew, and Andrew’s wife Myra were visiting. It was a nice visit and we watched some of the DVD of their October 2007 wedding.
But I told Ben that I was not feeling well, and would not be attending a concert that evening for which we had tickets.
Back home I remembered the helpful acronym HALT. It suggests that when I am out of sorts I need to ask:
“am I hungry, angry, lonely or tired”.
Yes I was tired. Yes, I was hungry. I did not feel lonely, but I knew that my feelings of grumptitude could easily turn into anger.
So I slept. And I ate a good dinner. Then I called Ben and said that I would, after all, attend the concert.
It was a piano recital by the brilliant Argentinian artist, Ingrid Filter. And in that concert, “Doctor Chopin” worked his cure. I came home refreshed and renewed, leaving my resentments in the Concert Hall.
Today I received a post-card from two of the people that I thought had slighted me. It was an invitation to a party at their home!
I am so glad that I kept my big mouth shut last Sunday!
It all started on Sunday morning. I imagined that I had been slighted by some friends. I was like the whining little boy in the play-ground - “they don’t want to play with me anymore”. I wanted to ream them out.
I nursed my resentment all day long instead of shrugging off what was no more than a m misunderstanding. And it stayed with me through most of Monday.
And, on Sunday night the New England Patriots did not win the Super Bowl. On the grand scale of things that matters not a whit. But even though I do not understand American Football, and never watch it on T.V. I wanted my “home team” to win and their unexpected loss increased my feelings of “grumptitude”.
Monday afternoon I stopped into see Ben Morse since his late partner Bruce Wirtz’s son Andrew, and Andrew’s wife Myra were visiting. It was a nice visit and we watched some of the DVD of their October 2007 wedding.
But I told Ben that I was not feeling well, and would not be attending a concert that evening for which we had tickets.
Back home I remembered the helpful acronym HALT. It suggests that when I am out of sorts I need to ask:
“am I hungry, angry, lonely or tired”.
Yes I was tired. Yes, I was hungry. I did not feel lonely, but I knew that my feelings of grumptitude could easily turn into anger.
So I slept. And I ate a good dinner. Then I called Ben and said that I would, after all, attend the concert.
It was a piano recital by the brilliant Argentinian artist, Ingrid Filter. And in that concert, “Doctor Chopin” worked his cure. I came home refreshed and renewed, leaving my resentments in the Concert Hall.
Today I received a post-card from two of the people that I thought had slighted me. It was an invitation to a party at their home!
I am so glad that I kept my big mouth shut last Sunday!
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