Happy Acres

At Happy Acres everyone agrees and gets along.  There is always enough money, food, time for everyone.  We are in great shape and wonderfully photogenic.  We're Pleasantville, Stepford Wives and a Twilight Zone episode rolled into one.   No one lives at "Happy Acres" all the time.  Happy Acres is that mythical and perfect world we often envision and curse fate when we don't achieve.  Maybe I'm the only one that does that but I'll bet not.

This morning I had a few insane moments when my dissatisfaction with how poorly my world mirrors Happy Acres caused me grief.   Lost in the novelty of a new world just uncovered, in Super Mario Bros., son and I were so deep in the game that Teri, the bus driver had to call from the bus in our driveway to throw us into action.  Husband scolded me.  I felt like I was ten.   I had to face the fact that my home life isn't always peaceful and pleasant.  I'm not living in Happy Acres.

After a few sentences were exchanged, I took a deep breath and decided to let it go.  I needed to let go of any frustration I felt with myself and with him.  I assumed responsibility yet, I also realized that in the larger scheme of things, my not hearing the bus was the tiniest of glitches.   I was reacting based on my feeling.  I wasn't responding based on the reality.  

I made myself stop and took time to look inside.  His reaction was his reaction.  It was up to me to choose and own mine.  I actually found it amusing that I could be so focused on a game and having so much fun that I forgot to look for the bus.  I realized that I had been busy with the morning routine earlier and hadn't really paid much attention to my husband. There are so many important issues worth arguing about that getting upset wouldn't be in my best interests.  I decided to let it go.  My husband began to talk about other things and I turned my attention to the new topic. 

Many times, I've gotten stuck in my anger and frustration.  I focus on the what and not the how and why.  I compare my life to that idyllic life that lies just beyond human grasp and come up disappointed.    As long as I expect a level of unachievable perfection, I create misery for myself.  I agonize over what could be without understanding that life is a journey and we are always works in progress.

I can curse my fate and dream of a perfect world or I can figure out what I can do that will put me just a bit closer to the life I envision, a life still full of problems but a satisfying and self-directed life, a life, to which I can say "Yes".    During my Just 10 today, I said "Yes" to my flawed and problem-riddled life.  It's so much more interesting than Happy Acres and when it's all said and done, I'll bet I can say that it was also more fun.  Fun needs its opposite to be appreciated.  Life bring it on.