A Hard Habit to Break...

Here I sit at the computer... wearing a skirt... and donning curlers. QUITE THE SIGHT! I am the girl who rarely gets dressed up. In the mornings, I throw on a Tshirt or two, jeans, socks, boots, grab my jacket and I'm out the door. No make up... no hair prep. Just a pony tail and whatever eyeliner might not have washed off from the last time I wore some (which is usually on an evening I have to go in public for one thing or another). So, it's pretty special when I actually take the time to dress up. The last time I wore a dress was to a wedding at the beginning of August... where a guy from my church barely recognized me. Or so he said. I don't know if he was just being a smart butt since I usually wear jeans or cords to church. Guess I'll never know. But anyway, its Christmas Eve and I decided that I'd like to spruce myself up a lil for this evening's service and family get-together. I am sure I look rather ridiculous at this point, but who doesn't when they have a head full of curlers? My hair is rather long, and boy did my arms ache from all that rolling! Also, a strange thing happened. Cory, being the precautionary that he is... has a little gas/carbon monoxide detector (I think that's what it is) in my kitchen. My house is small and the bathroom is right off of the kitchen. Well, I was in front of the mirror putting a curler in my hair and this detector starts shrieking bloody murder!!!! I about fell over. My head was already aching from the curlers that were weighing me down... the last thing I needed or expected was this shrill ear piercing BLARE to go off! Boo was so upset she kept running from room to room while I ran into the kitchen, looked at the detector which was blinking the word "GAS" over and over, and tried turning all of the knobs on my stove. Everything was off. Weird. (Poor Boo's ears are probably ringing like crazy). Luckily the thing turned off by itself... but the only thing I could figure was that maybe it was my hair spray causing the detector to freak out? I wasn't even using that much really... ? So I am confused. Of course, I can't get ahold of Cory after trying to call him ohhhhhhhhhhhh.... about 5 times. So I am hoping and praying that it was just the hair spray because ummmmm... I'm still in the house. Yikes.

Now on to my other story....
Today was a SLOOOOOOOW day at work. We were able to work 5:30AM-2PM for the holiday. I ran out of work around 10AM. So... I looked for things to do... I talked to people... I scrounged and pretty much ended up with NADA! So, 2PM rolls around and I was soooo ready to get out of there. I grab my stuff, lock my office, shut the door and start walking toward my car. Wouldn't you know... a tractor trailer pulls in. Of course everyone is leaving from the shops. All of the forklift drivers are already almost to the parking lot to leave. But there I was. Me... the girl who can't just walk away! UGH. So, I walk into the Receiving Office (this is the guy from another part of the shop who took over after my coworker got laid off earlier this month)... and I told the guy there was a truck. He DOES NOT unload trucks (although a requirement of his position... is to OPERATE A FORKLIFT!). He went through the whole "Everyone else has gone home *sigh...*" - So... I made a flippant remark about "I guess I will have to do it" and marched the WHOLE way across the plant to get a forklift (which was put away for the long holiday weekend). I zoomed over to the truck---which luckily only needed ONE skid unloaded... and couldn't resist. I grabbed my cellphone, which was conveniently in my pocket because I was ON MY WAY OUT THE DOOR just a few moments before... and I dialed the boss's son. I was so fuming. (Stemming from other things... not just that exact moment--although it had a great deal to do with it). I BLASTED him. I just let him have it about having someone in Receiving who doesn't drive a forklift... how everyone else had gone home, but this guy (and me)... and how it makes NO SENSE to have someone in that position that won't unload a truck!!! I was NOT very nice. Oh man... I was so mad! GRRRRRR!! The guy asked if there was anyone else... and I reiterated that it was TIME TO GO HOME... they actually were forcing us all to go home and I just happened to get sucked into the middle of it. I couldn't hear all that he said because the heater in the forklift was so loud--but I hung up and huffed and puffed and unloaded the truck, signed the paperwork, drove the lift back over to park... walked BACK to the receiving office... flung the paperwork on the desk and went to punch out. Ohhhh I was SO mad! I drove home in a fury! I just let it fester. Blah!
Then... little by little... I started thinking.
WOW.
I.was.just.a.total.jerk.
I was inconvenienced a whole 13 minutes... and I totally blew it.
I hopped into the shower and the more I thought about it... the worse I felt. I felt horrible! I started thinking about my quick temper. This isn't the first time I've blown up like that. It's wrong. Yes, I am human... but I am also a Christian and Christ would NEVER have treated anyone the way I treated my boss's son and even my coworker (my attitude and flinging the papers on the desk). I breathed a prayer of forgiveness... and after getting out of the shower, called my boss's son back. I apologized and he accepted and we briefly talked about the situation (and the not driving a forklift issue). He kind of chuckled when I tried to apologize again... and told me that it was OK... and we wished each other a Merry Christmas... and wow. What a weight lifted off of my shoulders! Not just because I felt better that I had made amends... but because I also hoped that my apology made him feel better (I'm sure he didn't appreciate me blasting him earlier)... and I believe that God was proud of me for taking the step to make it right. So many times we are so quick to judge or get angry and irate. Even about little things (people who annoy us in the store--I'm totally guilty of commenting under my breath when someone cuts me off or is rude). We don't realize that there are bigger issues. Maybe someone is hurting and was absent minded because their thoughts were on a loved one they'd just lost. Maybe someone was having a bad day. Maybe that person who cut you off in the parking lot didn't actually SEE you! There are so many factors and we are so quick to respond in anger and rage. At least, I know I am. It is like a bad habit and habits are hard to break... but I know having Christ in my life will help me to overcome anything I put my mind to. I believe today was a baby step in the process for me. I hope that you will step back and take a look before reacting the next time you find yourself in the same type of predicament. Maybe offer a smile or if need be, just turn the other way. You'll be glad you did--trust me.

Merry Christmas to you all!!