Grumpy People

I have noticed an astonishing increase in the number of people who have become more and more grumpy. And I define grumpy as being unwilling to listen and discuss anyone else's point of view. These people grumpily reject any opinion that is not theirs. They flat-out ridicule and demean any ideas, thoughts, opinions, or musings that don't conform to their idea of "correct". Grumps....

Now, when I was a young whippersnapper (look it up, it's a word), I always figured that old men were grumpy because they didn't sleep well. They were too busy climbing up hills barefoot in the snow... both ways. I figured that would make anyone grumpy and hard to live with. I always preferred dealing with old(er) women cause they seemed to be more understanding and less likely to be grumpy. Like Grandmas, and Aunts. Never Grandpas or Uncles....

But now, everybody is like those old men. Grumpy. And where I live, there are no hills or snow, so that can't be it. There is a lot of traffic, but there's always been a lot of traffic and that's not what they complain about anyway. They complain about people. And ideas. And politics. Especially politics.

I have decided to adopt a philosophy of kindness. My Mom always said that if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything. I like that, but I'd like to take it a step further. I'm going to try to say something good about everybody. I'm going to try to pray for the driver who cuts me off (and y'all know that will be tough for me). I'm going to say a little prayer for anyone who might have different ideas about anything. I'm not going to pray that they change their mind, but I am going to pray that I can accept their ideas with grace; not argument. Maybe even have a friendly discussion about the subject. My mind is not so closed that I can't accept new ideas (I hope). My prayer will be that I can debate, discuss, exchange ideas and walk away friends. Even on social media.

Think of the possible outcomes of such a change in me. My stomach acid will be reduced. My stress will be greatly reduced. My Grump Meter will go way down and I might even learn something new if I listen close enough..... I might even start to drive less like a maniac and more like a driver with their emotions in check. Wow....

If anyone else wants to join me in this endeavor, please do. We can't change the world, but we can change us. And if there's enough "us's" out there, the world has to follow. I will pray that each of us lessen our Grump Meter over the next few weeks. I love each of you and I hope we can chat and exchange ideas civilly from now on !!!!!