Wednesday, May 21, 2008

May 20th


"People who constantly react are never really free. Someone else is always in control, determining how they feel and act".

This quote has been my mantra lately. Or at least I have tried to live by it. I tend to be a "reactionary". Someone cuts me off on the road, or doesn't signal or "forgets" how to alternate when merging and I start to see red. Some days I just get a little annoyed. Other days, when the offense has been really grievous, I can be fuming for a while. In fact, I may even tell Pentti about it in the evening, if someones has really royally ticked me off (usually these are the near-accident stories where I could have been seriously hurt because of someone else's idiocy). Anyway, at the end of the day, whether I fume for a few moments or a few hours, I have let the other stupid driver control my day. He/she has gone home more than likely unaware and definitely unscathed by my rage. Meanwhile, I have wasted my energy on getting mad. What's the point? I am only in control of my car. Wouldn't it be better just to (fake) smile and say bless you in an attempt to prevent someone else from ruining your day?

Road rage is of course only one simple example of letting someone else be in control, but its a pretty familiar one to most people. Me, I am going to try to act, not react. I will chose to be happy on the road.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Creator of the Universe


Matias loves going to Sunday School. Every Sunday on our way home, we ask him questions to see what he picked up and what he thought. I love some of the answers that I get. A few weeks ago, he came home with a sheet that had the sun, moon, stars, night and day on it. Obviously, they had gone over the creation story. So, I asked him, "who made these?". He told me that Emma did. I tried to clarify my question (since I knew that Emma had been helping out and had probably helped him colour the pictures). I asked him again, who made the stars, and the moon and the sun? Emma did, he answered, getting a little frustrated that I didn't get it the first time. I tried one more time, explaining that I didn't mean who coloured them, but who made them. Emma did, he said. So, fine, I gave up. Thanks to Matias, Emma (one of the teens from the church) has been elevated to creator of the universe status in our household:)