Transformation: Frustration to Jubilation April 9, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, People.comments closed
After a terrible, horrible, awful, very bad day, your wife is trying to get dinner on the table.
She opens a jar of spaghetti sauce, before realizing she is out of pasta.
She looks in the fridge for inspiration and ideas.
NOTHING.
In disgust, she slams the door, causing the open jar of sauce in her hands to dispel its contents . . . bathing the entire kitchen, including the inside of the refrigerator, with fragrant garlic and basil tomato sauce.
Slamming the jar on the counter, she decides to fix grilled cheese sandwiches . . . until she realizes that she is out of bread.
And cheese.
In frustration, she reaches for a bag of potato chips for instant stress relief.
She rips the bag open and potato chips fly to the four corners of the room, adhering to the sticky red goo on the walls, floor, and refrigerator door.
As she stares in horror at the wreckage, her world implodes.
She falls to the floor, in defeat, sobbing uncontrollably.
You walk into the kitchen at that moment, see the carnage, and realize (even without being a rocket scientist) that your wife’s mental state is . . .
pre~car~i~ous.
What can you do to stop her world from spinning out of control?
* If you start to clean up the mess, her attention will remain on the mess.
* If you try to comfort her, she is apt to cry harder.
* If you rush out to buy her flowers and chocolate (thinking that maybe you forgot her birthday or your anniversary), she’ll feel abandoned.
Instead of trying to fix the situation, give her a much needed shift in perspective:
1. Start dancing, crushing chips and smearing sauce with your feet.
2. Flail your arms in a silly parody of an ape while making monkey noises.
3. Cradle a pretend microphone and sing, “Slip Sliding Away,” while gliding through the sticky tomato goo.
At first, your wife will stare at you, blinking in confusion. Then she’ll start to get angry ~ looking for someone, anyone, to blame for her current level of over-the-top-out-of-contol-frustration.
TIP: Make sure that sharp knives, the half-empty jar of sauce, and the carefully seasoned cast iron skillet are not within easy reach.
And, then, with a bit of luck, your not-so-smooth moves will bring her back to this moment.
She will get it. She’ll catch the shift in perspective that you have tossed her way like a life-line and start to laugh . . . until tears of joy run down her face.
Your idiotic dance moves will bring her back to the present from the precipice of the abyss.
She’ll let go of the past ~ including all the frustrations and stress that have been building steadily all day. She’ll stop worrying about what’s coming around the bend and she will . . . Be Here Now.
She’ll remember that, even after a terrible, horrible, awful, particularly bad day, her life is pretty great.
She has a lot to be thankful for . . . including the fact that she married you.
No rules. Just write!
What about you?
Have you ever helped someone transform a moment of frustration into one of jubilation? Have you erased frowns of frustration or inspired tears of joy?
Any secrets to share?
Related posts: When Ego Wins . . . We Lose * It’s Time To Wake Up * Your Wheelbarrow Of Woe * Just Let Go * Ordinary Miracles * 10 Ways To Attract Positive Energy * 5 Easy Ways To Make Yourself Miserable
Photo Challenge: Old ~ Skipjacks April 9, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Humor, Nature.comments closed
Over the long Labor Day weekend, the last of the Skipjacks race down the Chesapeake Bay from Deal Island, Maryland.
Wikipedia ~ Skipjack (in Public Domain)
In days of yore, Deal Island was known as Devil’s Island. Nearby Dames Quarters went by Quarters of the Damned.
One Wikipedia source attributes these unfortunate names to the area’s use by pirates. Residents of the area know better. The names stem from the profusion of vampiric bloodsuckers (mosquitoes and no-see-ums) that patrol the waterways and marshes in and around the island.
Also the island is famous for Joshua Thomas who predicted the British defeat in the war of 1812. Thomas is buried alongside the Joshua Thomas Chapel. For that reason, he no longer attends the Skipjack Races.
Wikipedia ~ Skipjack (in Public Domain)
The annual Skipjack Races keep history alive as Captain and crew (and lots of lazy gad-a-bouts) put the old boats through their paces.
Sailing from Deal Island harbor south, majestic skipjacks (laden with passengers who don’t seem to understand that the lightest ship in the fleet is apt to win) race side by side down the bay, wind whipping the sails.
Unless there’s a dead calm.
Skipjacks are wooden sailing vessels with triangular sails historically used for dredging oysters between the 1880s to the 1960s. In its heyday, Deal Island had a large fleet of skipjacks.
Today, most of the remaining skipjacks oystering commercially on the Chesapeake Bay sail from Deal Island or Crisfield. I’ll tell you about Crisfield some other time. I’m tired now. That’s what happens when you get old.
Related posts: Weekly Photo Challenge: Old * Old Drawings (Creating Magic) * Old Saws (Flying Gma) * Old Shelters (Random Thoughts From Midlife) * Old Friend (Jeanne’s Blog) * Old Family Photos (Barbara Taylor’s Blog) * Old (Piglet in Portugal) * Old Treasures (Mirth & Motivation)
Spirit Lights The Way 