Making A Grand Exit ~> ROAR

A funny thing happened when I went to The Forum.

The “Einstein Circle” (IMHO:  they give themselves more credit than is due) scheduled a lecture on Less Stress, More Joy. I decided to attend since the lecture was on a topic near and dear to my heart.

I had attended one previous discussion with the Circle.  That discussion, just last week, degenerated into off-topic whining, moaning, griping, and groaning about all manner of ills in the world.

But I am nothing if not the Eternal Optimist and Pollyanna, so I went.  Hoping that the lecture would stay on-topic this time.

It didn’t.

First, the scheduled lecturer didn’t appear.

She had overbooked herself and was off on a South Seas Island somewhere.

Smart Cookie!

The best “mistake” she made all year!

The moderator didn’t want to cancel the event at such a late date.  She decided to proceed and throw the discussion open to attendees who wished to share their thoughts, tips, and strategies on the topic of Less Stress, More Joy.

Not a problem.  As you might suspect, I could discuss that topic for hours.

Alas, within 15 minutes, the conversation spiraled away from Less Stress, More Joy and became a group gripe about all manner of ills in the world.

Déjà vu!  Their opinions were a rehash of what I heard last week when the Circle met to discuss Government Outsourcing.

They are nothing if not consistent.

After 20 minutes of watching the clock tick away precious moments, I decided to reclaim my freedom by leaving.

One problem.  The couple sitting next to me had made it known that they were considering buying a villa in our neighborhood, PBC.  I had agreed to meet with them after the discussion to answer any questions they had.

What to do?

I leaned over and whispered that I’d had enough of the spiraling negativity and planned to make my escape.  Did they want to join me in the hallway to talk about PBC?

Despite using my quiet library voice, all eyes and ears turned to us.  The moderator inquired whether I had a problem.

I debated . . . but not for long.

“Yes.  I do.  I came to LISTEN and LEARN about Less Stress, More Joy, but you all seem to want to focus on issues that have NOTHING to do with increasing Joy in our lives.  This has become a huge group gripe.  So I’m going to leave you to it.”

The moderator gave me a stern look, “Why don’t you just sit down and . . . ”

“No.  I’m not going to sit back down.  I’m leaving.  Paul, Ellie, if either of you have any questions for me about PBC, I’ll be in the hallway for a few minutes and will be glad to try to answer them.”

The moderator stared at me aghast as I gathered my belongings and prepared to beat a hasty retreat for the door.  She tried again to push me back into my seat, admonishing me to respect the opinions expressed by others.

Of course, my impromptu departure had nothing to do with the specific opinions expressed . . . in fact, I tended to agree with most of them.  My desire to escape stemmed from the fact that I didn’t want to be held captive to a discussion on politics when I had intended to attend a lecture on JOY.

So I shrugged off her entreaties.

Harry, a true gentleman, stood up and tried to step into the role of scape-goat and group whipping boy, “It’s my fault that we got off topic.  Please stay.  I don’t want to chase you away.”

I waved him off, “Harry, the same thing happened last week when you were the quietest one in the room.”

“If I had just stuck to the discussion . . . ”

“Harry, this is not your fault.  It’s no one’s fault.  Everyone here but me wants to discuss the negative.  That’s cool.  I had hoped that the group could set aside their negativity for one hour this week to focus on the positives, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards.  That, of course, is their choice.  This is mine.  You got to know when to fold ’em.  I don’t want to be held hostage any longer.  So I’ll leave you all to it.”

Then, like Mighty Mouse . . . or, better yet, the Wicked Witch of the West, I flew from room on my broom, cackling with merriment and glee as I breached the perimeter of the Einstein Circle.

“Good-bye my pretties!”

I waited a few minutes to see if Paul or Ellie would follow.  They didn’t.

Ah, well . . .

I exited the library proper, reclaimed my car from the parking lot, stowed my broom in the trunk, and headed for home.  Feeling great.

Less Stress, More Joy!  

And then the Universe gave me a HUGE WINK!  A song I’d never heard before came on the radio.

Or perhaps I’d heard the song before without really HEARING the words.

Either way, the lyrics suited the afternoon’s events to PURR-FECTION!

We always have a choice.  If we don’t like the thoughts that we’re thinking, or the ego-driven opinions spewing forth from others, we can change the channel.

We can tune out the S~T~R~E~S~S and tune into the infinite source of JOY!

Less Stress -> More Joy!

Aah . . . that’s better!

Related Posts:  WP Daily Prompt ~ Community Service * 10 Life Lessons You Should Unlearn  (my favorite -> #6).