Pro Life Tips for Grouchy People
For years, being grouchy was a hallmark of my personality. A combination of untreated bipolar disorder and active alcoholism gave me a perpetual frown and a repertoire of caustic comments. Thankfully, I finally sought treatment for both issues, got my life in order, and most people who know me wouldn't describe me as ill-natured at all. I have to admit that in a lot of ways, I have it made. I work because I want to, not because I have to. My wife and kids love me. The rest of my family is self-sufficient and drama-free. I have adequate time for my hobbies.
But…
Nobody is perfect, and every once in a while, I succumb to the internal pressure to let things get to me. For some reason, things I would ordinarily overlook become sticking points. My job is helping people with technology, and I know I’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed when simple requests start to get to me. Today, it was a person who wanted me to set up a monitor for them. It's a simple task that takes a couple of minutes, and most people do it themselves because it's 2024, and who doesn't know how to plug in a monitor? But, you know what? It doesn't matter. I get paid to plug in monitors, so I went and did it. That's the secret. I just have to zip my lips, do my job, and keep my opinions on technical proficiency to myself. I can complain about it to you people.
I'm lucky in that I get to eat lunch with my favorite person in the world. Wonder Woman and I have a love language that's big on teasing. I make fun of her short stature ruthlessly, and she hones in on my mood with laser precision. She could tell today that I'm just not feeling it, so what did she do? She made faces and grinned at me all the way through our meal while repeatedly grilling me on why I was grouchy. Now, that is not necessarily helpful, but it's better than apathy or being ignored. I just glared at her and told her I was going to take a nap in the car before I had to go back to my desk. She let me go without a fuss.
It was a long day. A five-minute easy job turned into a two-hour head-scratcher. I made a cup of coffee and forgot to drink it. I filled out a complicated form and then missed hitting the save button, so I had to do it again. I found out that a vendor is going to provide lunch for half our office, and I'm in the half that doesn't get fed. Then, of course, there is the omnipresent terror lurking right below the surface that my country might select a demented fascist to terrorize and strip the rights away from communities I love. Yeah, that. And then finally, there's me. I have health issues I don't talk about because they are boring, lots of people have them, and it's just not my nature, but today they're bothering me.
The way to get through this for me is to be as silent as possible. I don't make a big deal out of it, and I don't ignore people; I just keep to myself rather than be a Debbie Downer. I'll spend a little extra time working on my daily gratitude list because I know from experience what a mood lifter that is. I won't stay up late because a lot of my ill moods stem from not getting enough sleep.
Tomorrow is another day. It moves us closer to the weekend. Harris/Walz are probably going to win. And I have all you good people and Wonder Woman to lift me up. I'll be fine.
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