Unfortunately, I tend to be a person who instantly reacts
to a situation instead of taking time to think things through before I
act. But a FEW times in my life I have
actually paused, taken a breath, and then been quite pleased with the outcome
of how I handled a particular situation.
This is about one of those…
My hubby Jeff and I had been married about a year or so
and were living in a small apartment while we were attending college. I will be the first to admit that I am a neat-freak
and don’t like clutter, but I had been quite patient with the pile of Jeff’s
clothes that were accumulating on the chest between our closet and bed. Granted life had been VERY busy; we were both
in school and working and also fulfilling busy responsibilities at church. But really??????
I walked into the bedroom and began to have a little
steam coming out of my ears when I saw “the pile”. My first inclination was to be angry and
snarky. But I took a minute, a deep
breath, and a BRILLIANT idea came to me!!
I screamed!!
Well, needless to say, that got Jeff’s attention. He came running into the bedroom just sure I
was about to die. As I stood there,
obviously fine, he asked me what happened.
I looked at him like I was worried and said, “You left your side of the
closet door open and ALL OF YOUR CLOTHES JUMPED OUT!!!!”
Bless his heart, (yes, I am a southern girl, but I do
mean that sincerely), from then on, and to this day 30-something years later,
he is still WONDERFUL about keeping his clothes picked up!!!
Humor is a wonderful tool that can be used to diffuse
difficult situations. However, helpful
humor does not include behavior that is belittling, demeaning, or
degrading. True, useful humor leaves
both parties feeling emotionally “intact”, not “attacked”.
Life is to be lived joyfully. A little true and kind humor can go a long
way.
