Mechanical Failure

This morning I am fighting the urge to be completely annoyed. My heart is pounding a little faster and my mood is on the cusp of being bad all because of a mechanical failure. All I wanted this morning was to do some yoga, you know, the calming, work your muscles kind of exercise? I popped the instructional DVD into the player and pushed the button for the TV to switch over to the player and nothing happened. I fiddled and pushed buttons and shut things off and started them back up until my heart rate was equivalent to a good long run. Then I just abandoned the whole yoga idea entirely. Being calm was the goal and instead I am now agitated and snarky. My patience is limited and the sense of peace and feeling of fitness I was seeking have now turned into a Dirty Harryish attitude of "Go ahead, make my day."

Here is the thing, my foe is not a person or an event it is a piece of machinery. Why am I letting it ruin my whole day? I act like I am all evolved and centered and thoughtful and yet one mishap with a DVD player and I throw in the towel and become a menace to all I come in contact with. Apparently, I have found my Achilles heel a large square black box that weighs less then my cat, has taken charge of who I will be today. What is worse is that the DVD player could care less. The darn thing has no feelings and no way of resolving this issue with me, it just sits there staring back at me blinking all the wrong lights and acting like I am the problem…AGH!

How is it that in this life where I have every possible advantage I could be so shallow as to feel cheated and completely aggravated because I cannot get a piece of equipment to work? Wow! I know that I have so many things to be thankful for. I have a great life. I do not have to walk miles and miles for water or go without food. I have warm clothes and a roof over my head. To think that a simple mechanical failure could make me stomp around like nothing will ever be right again is really embarrassing.

Today I have been reminded that sometimes the smallest thing can make a big impact. Each day we are faced with choices to make about who we want to be. Some of these choices are huge and life altering and others are just simple annoyances that can either make or break us. When I really think about what I want my day to be and who I would like to be at the end of this day I realize that a little thing like a DVD player has no place in defining me or my day. I need to quiet my heart rate, take a deep long breath and say to myself in a calm and thoughtful voice, "Go ahead and make this a good day".