When
was the last time you were disappointed about something? Or, perhaps
redirecting the question, have you ever felt the need to try to
say anything nice about something that turned out to be less than
you wanted?
“Hey
Jim, weren’t you and Sue going to that new Italian restaurant
last night? How was it?”
“The
parking was easy to navigate and there was plenty of it.”
Well,
ok. Question avoided, and question answered.
New
restaurant. Everyone wondering about it. First thing that comes
to mind when asked about the experience? Parking was pretty good.
That
is not a glowing review of the meal.
A
few friends of mine and I usually reside on the sarcastic side
of the equation when it comes to life. Slightly away from center,
an almost defiantly unexpected viewpoint, bringing home an answer
with humor regardless of the realities.
Nice.
Not
only do I like using approach myself, I can appreciate it when
it comes around from others. Don’t mistake it for a lack of concern.
Don’t mistake it for a person that won’t take action, won’t offer
support, or doesn’t understand what is taking place. Instead,
place it in context of a person that realizes what is cannot be
undone, so accept and act, and do so in a way that keeps everyone’s
spirits elevated.
We
were forecast for a big snowstorm. I reached out to the aforementioned
Sue and Jim about it. I was complaining about the flakes in the
air a few hours ahead of schedule. Sue responded by telling me
I should stop complaining and need to clean my garage better so
I could get a car inside.
There’s
a bit of background to this joke before we get to that response
as a punchline. For instance, our house has a huge garage. Double-wide
door. Plenty of room for a car, if I wanted to park one inside.
In a place where it feels like Mother Nature delivers weekly wallops
of snowfall for seventeen months of the year, not having to clean
it off after a storm and letting it warm up while never stepping
outside before driving away can be as comforting as a mug of hot
cocoa.
Comforting
until you realize that inside the garage or no, the driveway still
needs to be cleared of a fifteen-inch blanket before you can use
the car. Still outside. Still cold. So, thanks Sue. Right on top
of things with the dig. (Of course, Jim clears her driveway. So
her cocoa mug is just fine.)
At
it’s most precious, it’s a laugh instead of cry approach to the
world. At the most fundamental, it’s an accept the worst and begin
digging yourself out. Still, at its best it’s a stress busting
approach that allows everyone to realize that the bad isn’t necessarily
the worst. And that, I like.
The
big storm is going down in forecasted accumulation. Down to ten
inches of snow expected to cover the ground. I’ve got the snowblower
ready to go, and I’ll be heading out in a few hours to assess
the thrills that await.
I’ll
probably be looking for dinner once I’m done. And that may be
the biggest challenge of all, since I know that even though there’s
a great parking lot available, at least one restaurant shouldn’t
be on my list of options.