inbetweeens

Last weekend: got shocked twice while putting up lights for Grandma A and then ate at Lupe's again. Grandma A will only eat at maybe two or three places so we know where my dad gets that annoying habit.
If you think really hard can you tell the difference between the marginally good minutes and the marginally bad ones? I mean you waste time sitting in traffic or else you spend time sitting on the phone looking forward to the moment when somebody will answer. In this example, we feel boredom and anticipation. We know which we'd prefer but how can we quantify the difference? If we could take the Pepsi challenge but with marginal moments could we even taste the difference? I spent quite a while waiting for somebody to take my order at Lupe's and yet I wasn't the least bit upset. But the hours it took me to put up the lights this year, only to watch some of the strands go out once I'd finished, seemed excruciating. You would think the emotions would have been the opposite. It certainly wasn't the task, as I relish the time spent working outside with my hands. I spent the afternoon disappointed in myself for worrying about things that I can't control. You could say that I was worried about worrying. But in the end, I did not pass the time in a way that was much if at all different from the time I spent at Lupe's.
So what's the deal? The obvious answer is that the difference between these two moments is frame of mind. Yes, this certainly is the first answer that came to my mind and it's the real point that I am getting at. We all know that our lives are made better by the great and beautiful moments; we remember and are effected by the most difficult times. But the marginal moments in life change us too, if only in small ways. I know I shouldn't be effected by either the bad service or the fact that I am a nutcase about certain things. Yet, it is easier for me to handle one of those situations than the other. I plan to improve on this. So lets make a pact. Let's try to take the moments for what they are and allocate the appropriate amount of thought and energy. Ok? As for me and the foibles that cause my undue concern, I look to adapt. There are certain facets of my personality that I cannot change, but I can learn to accept them and to learn to work around them. If only I was so worldly as to never feel hurt, then I would never worry. But, I take heart in the fact that although life is sometimes very difficult, I am better prepared than most to deal with it's highs and lows. Let's just try to limit the lows and not sweat the small stuff. And, yes, that even means ignoring my dad's penchant for eating at the same restaurant all the time.