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friday 
october
2          
2015
 


 
inspiration station  
take the high road

Recently, I had texted a guy who I had met once in his place of business in Florida (who was very nice in person) to ask him for a referral in my area for the same business he's in. He texted me back positively, and even said, "Tell him I sent you" and was quite nice, once again.

My second text asked: "Where is your person located?" but I received no reply. A few days later I texted that same question, and received an alarming reaction from him, which read, "I gave you his name and number! What more do you want from me? Take action yourself. You continue to be rude and assuming!"
 

W.T.H.??? I didn't get it.Odd how he translated an easy question into "rude and assuming" ... but whatever. I texted him back that I would not bother him again. And he texted back this:

  

What I REALLY wanted to send next was:
 
But I didn't.

I wasn't sure what had bitten the grouch on his buttocks that day to cause such uncalled-for crabbiness, but his reaction caught me by surprise.
When I had shared his rude reaction with my 25-year-old cousin, (who had met him too, in Florida), she advised me to "take the high road." Okay then, I will. Not happy that I didn't get to say 'bite me' and utter the last word, but ... she was absolutely right.

When we feel reactive to others' negative responses, what do we prefer to do? We want to lash out, act as rudely, and tell them off. We want to put them in their place, have the last word and be RIGHT about it. We feel we MUST say something back, yet we know it will only fuel the fire and keep up the argument.

It's a LOSE-LOSE situation.

I have mentioned before that we can learn from people of ALL AGES in our lives, doesn't necessary have to be someone older. So thanks, young cousin, for advising me well. I released that text exchange into cyber world, and let it go. (Well actually maybe not, since here I am snippeting about it?)

The next time you feel angry enough at someone to want to say BITE ME, one effective method is to write it down either on paper or by drafting an email. Get everything off of your chest, write exactly how you feel, share how angry you are, and tell off the person with details from A to Z. But don't send it - delete it. (And DON'T enter the person's email address in the TO: box, in case you should accidentally hit SEND!)

You could also verbalize all of your anger out loud, to yourself, without actually saying it to the person with whom you're angry.

Guaranteed, that either way of venting will help as it allows you to get it off of your mind without 'stooping' to The Grouch Level.

Don't bite anyone. Take the high road. 


snippeteer backtalk & welcomes
will return October 16th
 
This issue of SNIPPETS was written and prepared ahead of my trip to Sardinia, Italy; therefore, it will not include any comments emailed in reaction to last week's issue. Ciao!

 
NEW BOOK by Suzanne
A collection of reflections based on the 
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ciao ...
until we snippet again,

suzanne molino singleton  
creator of SNIPPETS   
(since 2006)

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