Practise what you preach, girl!
That’s what I’ve been reminding myself this evening.
I was taking part in an important, 15 person conference call from home (UK) with people in The States. The schedule meant the call would clash with what we lovingly call “The Witching Hour”- the hour before the kids’ bedtime. But I arranged our day so they would be calm and Theo would probably sleep through it. Louis is generally good at amusing himself if needed with a few good jigsaws and his train tracks. So all was looking good.
20 minutes into the call, Theo decides to scream so loudly they could hear him (literally) from the USA to Australia. Then Louis – always the picture of health – vomits. Twice. I spend the rest of the hour cleaning up and consoling the boys, whilst listening with half an ear to the call via the internet in the background.
So how did I react?
The “old me” would have let that ruin the rest of her day. She’d have grumped. She’d have indulged in the drama – I can hear her now, “It’s not fair! I only wanted to take part! Why me?” She’d have been snappy and irritable and generally fed up.
So it was a great chance to practise what I’ve been working on for 7 Days To Happiness. And, guess what? It worked.
The boys are both fine now – and so am I. I actually think the whole episode was pretty funny, in a Monty Python kind of way.
I was presented with a choice: to get annoyed or just look for the good in the situation. The good is that at least my friends on the conference call will remember me (the one with the baby!) and the boys are both fine. Theo has one less tooth to cut and Louis has enjoyed lots of cuddles this evening.
So the next time something really doesn’t go your way, I invite you to stop for just one second and think about the choice you still have: to get peeved or to smile.
I know which one I’m going for!
Love,
Clare