An Odd Use Of Poison.

An Odd Use of Poison
Or An Unusual Insight Into Saving Ourselves
Do you ever find yourself so filled with resentment that it really messes with your day/your mind? I certainly do. That emotion gets my adrenaline running full speed ahead. Much to my embarrassment, this happens even if, and sometimes especially when, what's involved is something as simple someone taking "my" parking space. Recently, however, someone shared a quote with me that has really (I hope!) sunk in: Resenting someone is like swallowing a bottle of poison and then wondering why the other person doesn't die.

Think about it. It's our insides that are churning, our bodies being stressed by unnecessary adrenaline rushes, while the other person just goes about his or her own business, often completely unaware and certainly untouched.

I had a chance to test this the other day. I ended up spending literally almost five hours on the phone with the phone company, trying to get Dial Up going at our funky little summer trailer in the boonies. In the course of that torturous time I had people tell me things like, I kid you not, "I'm sorry ma'am, but that address doesn't exist." When I pointed out that the phone company had already been to this address and installed the very phone on which I was speaking, the answer was, "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I've even checked MapQuest"!

Prior to having heard the resentment-poison quote, I would have been beside myself, and my voice would probably have been injured by five hours of frustrated yelling. Holding on to the quote for dear life, however, I really was "beside" myself saying, "Is this poor phone company employee really worth drinking poison over?" And, believe it or not, I actually stayed relatively calm and adrenaline-free through the whole process. Even got extra help from some sympathetic workers who sensed I knew they were just human beings caught in an insane bureaucracy.

So the next time you head to a doctor's appointment where you know you're going to have to just wait, wait, wait, or are put on hold, forced to listen to some obnoxious ads, try asking yourself if that doctor or phone operator is really worth swallowing a bottle of poison.

P.S. Another prescription for waiting on hold or at a doctor's office, one which you probably already know, is to have a novel, some Sudoku puzzles, and/or a gardening or recipe book to drool over during the "stupid waste of time!" And wouldn't you know, just when I get really into what I'm enjoying, I'm told, "The doctor is ready for you now," or a voice on the phone suddenly says, "How may I help you today?" Instead of being pissed by how long I've had to wait, I'm amazed that I have to stop what I'm doing so soon!

Margaret Lobenstine
Alternative Approaches

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