I live in Texas. It’s hot in the summer. Very hot. But I wanted a fountain soda from the downtown convenience store so I started walking. It was only four blocks away and despite the heat, I felt the crisp drink poured over the cool ice would make the temporary sweating worthwhile.
Imagine my shock when I arrived at the store to see an “Out of Order” sign posted on the fountain. No ice. No soda. No flavoring to add into my afternoon drink. Bummer.
I sulked and walked empty-handed out of the store and into the heat. I didn’t consider all of the other refrigerated drinks (including water and sports drinks) as options. I wanted what I wanted and nothing else.
I’ve already mentioned that I was hot. And that I was thirsty. And that I was walking four blocks on a Texas summer afternoon without anything to quench my thirst because I couldn’t get the soft drink how I wanted it.
What was I proving to the store manager by not buying one of the other options - that he was mismanaging his store? That he failed to meet my needs? That I wouldn’t buy a drink if it wasn’t poured over ice?
Rational minds would have seen the other options and chalked it up to bad timing or rotten luck. But not me. I left the store. I let my pride and my disappointment get in the way of reason. And it wasn’t the first time.
When we have our minds set on something, a temporary setback can seem monumental when in reality, it’s miniscule. Not getting “my way” isn’t the end of the world. In fact, when I look at the history of “my way,” I see some pretty poor choices. Oh how I wish there had been some “out of order” signs on the doors I had opened in the past!
Where was the “out of order” sign before I ventured into failed relationships, questionable fashion purchases or missteps in my career? Thinking of it that way, the “out of order” sign on the soda fountain probably saved me from an overly carbonated drink or one with too much fructose corn syrup. (I keep hearing the latter is a bad thing.)
Weeks removed from that situation, I see the silliness of my decision. I also see that measuring disappointment with reason can offer a plausible alternative to almost any detour. Sometimes “Plan B” can work out better than the original.
And it just might include a chilled beverage on a sunny day.
Imagine my shock when I arrived at the store to see an “Out of Order” sign posted on the fountain. No ice. No soda. No flavoring to add into my afternoon drink. Bummer.
I sulked and walked empty-handed out of the store and into the heat. I didn’t consider all of the other refrigerated drinks (including water and sports drinks) as options. I wanted what I wanted and nothing else.
I’ve already mentioned that I was hot. And that I was thirsty. And that I was walking four blocks on a Texas summer afternoon without anything to quench my thirst because I couldn’t get the soft drink how I wanted it.
What was I proving to the store manager by not buying one of the other options - that he was mismanaging his store? That he failed to meet my needs? That I wouldn’t buy a drink if it wasn’t poured over ice?
Rational minds would have seen the other options and chalked it up to bad timing or rotten luck. But not me. I left the store. I let my pride and my disappointment get in the way of reason. And it wasn’t the first time.
When we have our minds set on something, a temporary setback can seem monumental when in reality, it’s miniscule. Not getting “my way” isn’t the end of the world. In fact, when I look at the history of “my way,” I see some pretty poor choices. Oh how I wish there had been some “out of order” signs on the doors I had opened in the past!
Where was the “out of order” sign before I ventured into failed relationships, questionable fashion purchases or missteps in my career? Thinking of it that way, the “out of order” sign on the soda fountain probably saved me from an overly carbonated drink or one with too much fructose corn syrup. (I keep hearing the latter is a bad thing.)
Weeks removed from that situation, I see the silliness of my decision. I also see that measuring disappointment with reason can offer a plausible alternative to almost any detour. Sometimes “Plan B” can work out better than the original.
And it just might include a chilled beverage on a sunny day.
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