Humour Helps

Five minutes had passed, maybe ten.

Standing lost in thought with an empty facial expression and full shopping trolley, it was the remark from a passing stranger brought me back to the reality of the fresh scratch and crack in my car’s bumper.

“Oh my , did someone just do that to you ? Did they leave a note ?”

Before I could completely appreciate the concern, I gave my response.

“No, actually I accidentally did this last night . It was already like this when I got here…. but I was hoping I would come out to find it magically fixed”

I shared the next moment laughing with the mother and daughter pair, but spent the next few  thinking about how making a joke out of the situation had suddenly softened its impact.

I noticed that in all unfavorable situations, regardless of the specifics, they seem follow the same process. With awareness of it, allowing for a much smoother transition.

Firstly, we feel how we feel. Annoyed, angry, embarrassed, stupid etc. It’s only after allowing this immediate reaction, that we will ever move on. I gave myself a few hours last night to be annoyed at myself for the fact I let my attention slip, even if it was just for a second.

After going through all the natural would’a , should’a and could’as, you can then progress. From here the future and the solution is dependent on the specific circumstance. However, there is one thing that will always definitely help. But it’s personally up to you to find it. Humour.