CALM DOWN (or, better yet, Pause)
IF YOU’RE HOPING TO READ ABOUT YOGA POSES, SKIP THIS ONE …
My husband, a very smart man, recently asked me if I’ve ever been able to calm down when asked (or told) to “calm down”?.
My answer was no.
A recent situation in our house is a good case study for this ‘calm down vs. pause’ story.
We have 2 bathrooms, both beautifully remodeled. One, however, needed shower faucet adjustment. As it was being adjusted, a part was dropped down inside the wall. Since it was the guest bath, we promptly forgot about it.
UNTIL 2 weeks ago when we realized our daughter and son-in-law would be visiting, would enjoy a shower, and I didn’t enjoy the idea of sharing mine. A futile search ensued for the manual, so we could replace the lost part. Another web search gave us name/model of said faucet. A call to the manufacturer. The rep my husband spoke with calmly walked him through the dismantling of the faucet, determined what part we needed and even provided store names. Problem solved.
However, one morning in the midst of the above, as I’m getting ready to teach, I have an anxious moment. It reared it’s ugly head as an internal tantrum that could have easily ruined a day (or days). As I fumed about the lost part, the forgetfulness, the disassembly and hoped-for reassembly, I paused. I thought about what my tantrum would NOT accomplish and I decided to hold back on my emotions.
Best decision I’ve made in a while. That pause kept household stress to a minimum, kept me from being a real ‘shrew’, and helped me deal with my emotions more skillfully.
Take care and enjoy the rest of May,