 What Speaks to Your Soul?
I’ve always been a sucker for chivalry. I love when I see a young man open the door for someone or when a man gives up his seat for a pregnant lady or a woman with small children. I guess it’s the respect that I admire most when I see a man leap into action to be kind. Maybe this is why when I see the complete opposite of this, I get annoyed.
The other day I went to the mall with two of my friends and bought some ice-cream. I needed to find a place to sit to eat it because my foot was in a cast from recent foot surgery. So, we ventured a few hundred feet in search of one. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an empty one, so we had to settle on one that was already occupied by someone. So, there I hobbled up to the twenty-something year-old man sitting by himself and asked if I could sit down next, fully expecting him to stand and offer his seat to all three of us. He reluctantly slid over and made room for just me. Meanwhile, my other two friends huddled around next to me while the man just sat there hogging the rest of the entire bench. As I scooped spoon after spoon of Maggie Moo Smores ice-cream into my mouth, I grew annoyed at him for not being sensitive enough to allow my friends to sit with me. I think steam actually spewed from my ears as the minutes ticked on. When I finally took my last bite, would you believe, he decided it was time for him to move on. I swore he did this deliberately.
Now the logical person in me knows this can’t be true. A stranger doesn’t set out to mess with another person’s psyche like that, right? I don’t know why I take another person’s actions so personally. I just do.
So what is a person like me to do when the rest of the world doesn’t act according to my standards? I could sit and brood over it or I can do the intelligent thing and try not to change the world, but instead accept it for what it is and move on. But, how? For me, I have a few things up my sleeve for times like this. I sing a song in my head, pet my dogs, or indulge in a cup of hot tea and savor its simplicity. So, after we tossed our ice-cream cups, I did what I had a to do to settle the upset. We ventured across the hall to Starbucks to take the edge off my sour mood with a delicious cup of herbal tea.
This month’s project, Time for Tea, is one that speaks to my soul and maybe will to yours, too. If you’re sensitive like me, perhaps a spot of tea could be your remedy for a high-expectation personality, too.
Enjoy!
Dennise
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