Pearls of Wisdom and Foolish Mutterings

Give me a break, please.

I'd like to ask a simple question. I consider myself to be a happy person. I like to laugh, I like to joke and I like to make people laugh. I like to make people happy. I don't go around looking for people to pick fights with (although I'll admit, there was a time when I was pretty well-versed at that - I wasn't very happy then.) But that was a long time ago and I've grown up a lot since then. Now, most of the time, when I got out in public - to the grocery story, the post office, the hardware store or any number of other places, I keep a smile on my face, I speak kindly to people - and more often than not, they return the favor. Somedays it just seems so easy to have a happy, not-too-stressful life. Even when problems arise, I'm a problem solver and I can usually come up with a solution that, while it may not be a total fix, it at least makes them better.

So, why then, I wonder, does this same strategy not work so well in my own home? I'm big on attitudes - I think they are very important. A good attitude goes a long way toward making situations more bearable. A shitty attitude, or more precisely, a confrontational and critical attitude does nothing except make those around you uncomfortable and creates a palpable tension in the air. I learned a long time ago, that when we engage in biting teasing or critical comments that are passed off as "jokes," the only person we are fooling with that kind of nonsense is ourselves. No one else finds it humorous or endearing. And when one person in the household is determined to behave that way, it throws the whole household off balance.

I understand stress. I understand not being at one's best because of situations. What I don't understand is making those people who care about you the most "pay" for the shitty day you may have had. I'm not a mind-reader and I've learned that asking too many questions is a sure-fire way to set a match to a smoldering fire.

I get tired of this kind of bullshit. I think it's very immature. And I'm not one to keep my mouth shut or hold back. I'm even less likely to keep quiet about my feelings now than I ever was before. Hopefully, I'll have the day to myself tomorrow so that I can get my bearings again and not go into the weekend with tension levels set at detonate mode. That remains to be seen. I'm pretty tired of being accommodating. And I think life is too short to go around with a burr in your saddle most of the time.

But that's just my take on it. I could be way off base here,. But no, I really don't think so.