Geranium Farm Home         Who's Who on the Farm         The Almost Daily eMo         Subscriptions         Coming Events
Hodgepodge         More or Less Church         Ways of the World         A Few Good Writers
Gifts For Life         Pennies From Heaven         Light a Prayer Candle         Links

A BAD BEGINNING
March 18, 2008
 
It was a crabby day, I could tell, even before I got out of bed.

I had repaired to the guest room in the wee hours to court sleep with the BBC, and did not surface until after eight in the morning, jarred awake by the voice of the second Mrs. Paul McCartney whining to reporters about the paltry amount of her divorce settlement, and also by the realization that I had slept through morning prayer. Damn.

Then they played a clip of Barack Obama's pastor emeritus giving a speech that made him sound completely mad, and one of President Bush saying that he thought it would be romantic to serve in Afghanistan. There was a brief notice that all the glaciers in the world are melting even faster than we thought they were, and a bulletin from the new governor about an old extramarital relationship. It was time to get up, although the sudden recollection that my hard drive had crashed the day before made me want to go right back to bed.

I drove Q to a medical appointment, upsetting an entire cup of tea on the floor of the car as I went. In the doctor's waiting room, the women of "The View" were fighting with each other about Senator Obama's pastor emeritus, and Rachel Ray's refrigerator was turquoise. It was all too much to bear.

But there came a time -- after a replacement cup of tea and two successful crossword puzzles -- that I grew bored with my crankiness and set it aside. It had availed me nothing. There was no up side to my foul mood apart from the momentary release that comes of admitting that life is annoying, so it wasn't hard to leave it behind.

That momentary release is a welcome thing, and ought to be indulged -- briefly. It's a good thing to be honest about one's feelings, the good and the bad. But, after you've done so, a decision must be made about where you want to spend the rest of the day: in a blue funk, or in a state of modest hope. Rotten things happen every day, and so do good ones. It is no more rational to expect the bad ones than to hope for the good, and it is nowhere near as pleasant.
Copyright © 2024 Barbara Crafton
  2016     2015     2014     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009     2008     2007     2006     2005     2004     2003  
  2016     2015     2014     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009     2008     2007     2006     2005     2004     2003  


Copyright © 2003-2024 Geranium Farm - All rights reserved.
Reproduction of any materials on this web site for any purpose
other than personal use without written consent is prohibited.

2003-2004 Golden Web Awards Winner     2003-2004 Level 2 Diamond Web Award Winner     WorldWebWebAwards.net Humanitarian Award Winner     2004 WebAward Winner for Standard of Excellence