I was in the bathroom yesterday reading(Not that I make a habit of that). Anyway, I have the book: "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff". Contrary to what Bryan thinks I really try to live by that. It doesn't always work, but most of time I can let the little annoyances of life sift right through. Which brings me to Chapter 83:
"Lighten Up". I thought this chapter was appropriate for the Holiday Season. It talks about how we lose perspective over the little things in life that are unpleasant. The things that are unpleasant,but we really can't change them. For instance, waiting in line. We don't like it, but complaining about it and getting our blood pressure elevated isn't worth it. Save your angst for when someone cuts you off in traffic on your motorcycle (I digress). One of my favorite lines from the chapter is: "The root of being uptight is our unwillingness to accept life as being different, in any way, from our expectations." Expectations are a big downfall to having true happiness at any given time. You expect your child to act a certain way at an event you are very excited for. When they don't, you get disappointed. I have a scenario in my head that at our Christmas party everyone will be sitting down at the table at the same time and I will give a toast with everyone in complete silence with their glasses raised, including the kids. Ha Ha Ha, like that is ever going to happen. I seriously have no expectation that that will really happen, but if I did I would be really disappointed. Have no expectations and be pleasantly surprised when something goes as planned. Life is simply what it is, you either roll with it, or create difficulties and suffer. There is a quote from Benjamin Franklin in the book: "Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don't fit our ideas, they become our difficulties." Things won't go right and you will get stressed and disappointed, just keep things in perspective and "Lighten Up!"
PS: Bryan, if you use these words against me, I will give you a smack down!
8 comments:
I totally know what you are saying..... When you told me you had wrote a new blog I had EXPECTATIONS that it was going to be a good one. I was definitly disappointed!!!!!
Also don't have expectations that your mother will EVER be in town for your birthday. I don't, and guess what I never get disappointed. Besides its not like it has never happened. I still remember very vividly the last time my mother was here on my birthday. I was 3 years old and my mom just got back from a ski trip in the Swiss Alps. She had an accident and broke her arm on the slopes. She was so drugged up on vodka and pain pills that she was sitting in the corner of the kitchen with a bathrobe on and lipstick all over her face singing "Kume By Ya My Lord".
It was fun!
I totally remember that birthday! Wow, she was sure a sight to be seen. Funny how she is never in town for her "favorite" child's bday but always in town for mine, hum....makes you think huh? Haha....Also mom I completely agree about all that not sweating the small stuff and not having expectations, but somehow i always do. Except for yesterday when Jax broke an ornament and picture frame all within 30 seconds of each other...i just let it slide, figured I can't change what is already done.
It's so nice that my lovely children read my blog, but if your going to trash my upstanding reputation you need to get the facts straight. It wasn't Vodka, it was tequila and I wasn't singing Kume by Yah, it was "We are the World". And you did have fun, I let you lick the bottle.
Nice comments! Makes me sad, yet again, that we don't all live closer together. Oh, the conversations that would occur!
I read that book and I try to do the same. I have high expectations of everyone though. That's my problem. Even when I lower them, I am still dissappointed and then annoyed that they can't even live up to that!
Ugh...I need to relax...
At least you mother was there for most of your birthdays. For years I totally forgot my own sisters birthday. I came up with all of the excuses. Even sent belated wishes blaming the delay on the mail system, gorilla attacks kidnapings and fake e-mails the appeared to be properly dated but lost in cyberland. Pretty good huh. Thats probably why her comment on excuses is number one on her list. Its too late to take care of those lapses of memory but its never too late to make up for them either. Hope I'm doing a better job. By the way I never knew that you went skiing in the Alps.
Screw tha Alps, I never knew you drank Tequila....i'll keep that in mind for Christmas!
Oh Steve, I'm over it. You were forgiven a long time ago. The Alps are amazing, and tequila is the only thing that I haven't thrown up on.
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