Which One Are You?
We are settled into a new week around here and things are going well. Josh had a game last night, which they won 18-0. That’s sounds a lot better than it really was. We must have fumbled the ball more than ten times. As the night wore on, it got more and more humid, therefore, the field got more and more wet and the ball got more and more slippery. Luckily, we were playing the worst team in the league. Josh had a good game personally. He made one really great tackle that probably saved the other team from scoring a touchdown (a very proud Mother moment).
This morning I woke up to a dirty house piled high with laundry. The party weekend is over and reality is setting in. I tackled this problem with one of my favorite problem solving skills…avoidance. I called up Sarah and we went to lunch.
As an adult, I have found the confrontation vs. avoidance issue a truly interesting study in human nature. I will gladly admit that I employ avoidance ten times more often than confrontation. I am not sure if this stems from heightened maturity, cowardliness or laziness. But figuring out whether someone is an avoider or a confronter can tell you worlds about their personality as a whole. The other day I was grocery shopping when a man and women walked past my cart. I am not sure why I noticed them at all, but something seemed peculiar about the situation. He walked right up to the front of her basket (blocking her escape) and said, “You have NO right parking in a handicapped space.” To which she replied (in a very agitated New Orleans accent with an attitude), “You has no idea what is or is not wrong with me.” They both went at it for the next two minutes. I sat there stunned not knowing whether to turn my cart around and walk away or walk past them to get to the ice cream I needed just beyond them. Instead, I sat and stared very intently on the wonders before me in the frozen vegetable case.
I realize this is an extreme example…but comical as well as educational. I decided right then and there that although confrontation might sometimes be a quicker and better end to my means, I would continue being an avoider. I have enough stress in my life already!
This morning I woke up to a dirty house piled high with laundry. The party weekend is over and reality is setting in. I tackled this problem with one of my favorite problem solving skills…avoidance. I called up Sarah and we went to lunch.
As an adult, I have found the confrontation vs. avoidance issue a truly interesting study in human nature. I will gladly admit that I employ avoidance ten times more often than confrontation. I am not sure if this stems from heightened maturity, cowardliness or laziness. But figuring out whether someone is an avoider or a confronter can tell you worlds about their personality as a whole. The other day I was grocery shopping when a man and women walked past my cart. I am not sure why I noticed them at all, but something seemed peculiar about the situation. He walked right up to the front of her basket (blocking her escape) and said, “You have NO right parking in a handicapped space.” To which she replied (in a very agitated New Orleans accent with an attitude), “You has no idea what is or is not wrong with me.” They both went at it for the next two minutes. I sat there stunned not knowing whether to turn my cart around and walk away or walk past them to get to the ice cream I needed just beyond them. Instead, I sat and stared very intently on the wonders before me in the frozen vegetable case.
I realize this is an extreme example…but comical as well as educational. I decided right then and there that although confrontation might sometimes be a quicker and better end to my means, I would continue being an avoider. I have enough stress in my life already!
posted by Debbie at 5:40 PM
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