.
It Works if You Work "It"

There have been a few instances where I have had to catch myself in terms of my reaction to other people's moods... both at home and at work. Even though my transition in my thought process in many of the instances was as halting as a manual transmission car in need of a new clutch, in each case I was able to stop myself before things became too rocky and remember the mantra:

"You cannot change others, you can only change yourself (or your response to others)."

I am very pleased with the results. I feel more calm, more serene, and more myself. It is absolutely wonderful to know it is POSSIBLE for me to CHOOSE to not buy in to other's emotional outbursts.

The case in point today happened just a little while ago where a colleague (who is renowned for having poor to no communication skills or tact) sent me an e-mail that was a) very sharply worded, b) nonsensical in its intent, and c) not sent to the appropriate party. Basically it involved this fellow's demand that I assure him that a particular piece of equipment that is to be used in next week's teaching laboratory (that we both teach sections of) is fully functional. This is because this person is unable to troubleshoot and/or set up anything equipment-wise himself. However... THIS IS NOT MY PROBLEM OR ROLE. If he would have asked nicely, I would have been willing to help. However, instead, I simply sent the e-mail to our Department's Laboratory Technician and allowed HIM to deal with the issue... and the fellow's belligerence.

Even though my first inclination was to get irate back at this fellow and to send him a scathing e-mail... I sat back and thought to myself, just because this fellow is rude and angry, does not mean I need to reply in kind. His problem IS NOT my problem, and I do not have to alter the course of my day for HIM.

It took a few minutes, but it did happen, and I feel a helluva lot better because of it. I changed MYSELF and now I can relish and bask in the calm serenity and happiness that is the rest of my day.

I am also contemplating an adventure with my elderly father-in-law tomorrow.

PipeTobacco