Grumplestiltskin Gets Over Herself

I've started about 16 posts today and scrapped them. They were all whiny. I didn't get any sleep last night. I don't get Twitter. I wish I could spend the holidays on a deserted island to avoid family politics. I ate a cupcake and a cheeseburger for lunch and now my pants are uncomfortable. I ran out of coffee. I need to paint my toenails. Nobody understands me. I hate bad grammar and spelling. My cell phone won't charge. I was so creative before Google was invented. I am so tired of those people who draw a Hitler mustache on whomever is in office and stand outside the grocery store and bother me. (Learn some history and stop calling everyone a fascist!!!) Wah. Wah. Wah. Me. Me. ME.

So I took a break. Shut everything down and walked away into real life for a few hours. Took some time to be irritated by people other than myself, and this is what I've come up with:

Things can get pretty bad out there, I can't afford to let things get pretty bad "in here". I wrote a whole Manifesto about my new economy and now it's time to enforce it. I will not give in. I will not get discouraged.

This is what I have to give liberally and without regret today:

I pray daily for all those who are hurting, that they might find peace and comfort. If you're hurting, that means YOU.

Although being a keen observer of people often has its downside of noticing a great many irritating things, it also affords me the pleasure of noticing the wonderful, quiet things people do to make this place better. I appreciate YOU for all the good things you do that you may believe go unnoticed.

I spend a good bit of my time feeling like I'm getting away with something because my life is so blessed. I recognize not everyone's life is like that. I hurt for those who struggle. If you're struggling right now, I hurt for YOU and would do whatever I could to help.

I am a good listener. I will listen to YOU.

I will celebrate with you, cry with you, laugh with YOU. Even if I don't know you, I will.

Even if I disagree with you, even if I don't like you, I love YOU. I really do. I love the things that make us all different, and one of my super powers is being able to find a common reality with just about anyone. (My other super power is to always put my hand in something sticky when I'm out in public, but that's far less useful.)

If you come to me with a problem, I will not talk to you about doors opening and closing, silver linings, fish in the sea or any of those other meaningless things. I may try to make you laugh, though. I will definitely let you cry.

You're important or you wouldn't be here on this planet. If you can't think of anyone else that you are important to, YOU are important to me. You're important to me because you are a living, breathing being with your very own thoughts and emotions and struggles and triumphs. You may look different from me, act different from me, believe different things than I do, speak differently, love differently. You may even hate me. I still love you because you're a person. And as crabby as I sometimes get, I just can't figure out how not to love people.


P.S. Even YOU, Hitler Mustache people. You care enough about what you believe in to stand outside the grocery store and the post office rain or shine and have people make fun of you. That takes courage and some intestinal fortitude. I appreciate that quality and love it, even if I don't agree with you AT ALL and think you shouldn't try to explain your position to my 4-year-old.