Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Now watch her head spin

This past weekend I got to spend twelve hours sitting in hot, crowded stands watching my daughters' swim meet. And I'm one of those people. Reading on my Kindle, listening to my iPod and responding to messages on my smart phone. There's really only so much swimming (of children other than your own) that one can watch. I much prefer my son's wrestling tournaments, even with the smell.

A woman walked up in the stands Sunday morning that caught my eye. She was petite and dainty. She wore a very stylish black sweater with a neatly wrapped purple scarf around her neck. Her dark brown hair was in a messy bun and her face had very fine feminine features. A pretty lady for sure. I'd guess she was a little younger than I am. She had a gentle smile on her face as she approached some other parents she knew. Her mannerisms were graceful and poised. Until...

With my head phones on, I was startled by this loud horrendous scream coming from this little lady female. She was screaming her daughter's name in an attempt to get her attention because her heat was on the blocks. Her daughter must have been distracted (imagine that of a nine-year-old). She was deck entered into this event meaning they entered her that morning. Her name was not in the heat sheet (schedule).

The woman continued screaming her name, first and last, with a fury that got everyone's attention in the seating area. Then, once her daughter made her way (on time) to the blocks, the woman sat down in a huff and with sheer rage let out a sound I'm not sure how to type; "hhhyyyymmmmppphhh" while she buried her face in her hands.

Demon! Be gone from this woman! 

There can't possibly be anything logical about this overreaction. Was it the $5 deck entry fee? Her daughter was not in danger of achieving a state qualifying time, so it wasn't that.

How quickly our quiet gentle spirit can be annihilated by the slightest of things. It's not just a woman issue either. Play a round of eighteen holes for clear examples of the tiniest thing bringing a man to rage.

I remember being prone to rage. When there's a lack of peace in our hearts, it is easy to succumb to anger and irrational outbursts. Having a calm spirit can be achieved but it takes work. It takes a conscientious awareness of our emotions. It takes a real understanding of what is important. It takes an awareness of how your rage is translated to those who witness it.

This woman's husband was next to her. After her face turned from crimson back to peach I could hear her talking to her husband, justifying the outburst. He got up and left. She looked around for a sympathetic face. I'm thankful she didn't look up at me. I was laughing with my daughter - the young one prone to fits herself. It was great for her to see how ridiculous it looks. 

I can't possibly understand everything in that woman's life from that one moment. I could shrug it off as just a woman being irrational. No doubt this is not right behavior and not acceptable no matter who you are.

9 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. He was there, but he probably went drinking when he got up.

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  2. the young one prone to fits herself. It was great for her to see how ridiculous it looks.

    I would pay serious money for my daughter prone to these outburst to see something like this . . . . and for the calm you describe. I'm working on it, daily, and yet most days I still fail. Time to try again.

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  3. Hey There...

    I agree with what you’ve said, but just wanted to point to one of the comment sections of another of your posts where you really went off on some lady. Obviously, not your child and you are not perfect(nor obliged to please anyone but God and RLB), but I had the same type of reaction, a couple of days ago when I read those comments, as you did to this lady at the swim meet when she all of a sudden started shrieking and freaking. I didn’t think much about it, until I read this post and I thought you might benefit from the feedback. It just seemed… not right… to read these wise and truth filled posts that seem to be from a very feminine woman and then all of a sudden you unload on some lady. Granted her comments where stupid, and I agreed with the content of your responses…. Just wanted to let you know that I had that same shock(no I’m not a delicate flower, I just can’t think of a better word right now) you expressed in this post, when you went off.

    I've spent a bit of time looking for those comments, but unfortunately I can’t find the post right now so feel free to take this with a large grain of salt. May have been in an alphagameplan post comment section… not sure.

    jf

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  4. jf,
    Look through the comments on "As provable as gravity" - was it one of my comments there? Otherwise look at AG "Conservative woman misses the point." - it's in the list of top posts. I had some head spinning moments there too.

    I'm not infallible, not by a long shot. I work on it daily as Stingray says she does as well. What I have learned to do, however, is step back, not talk/type, pray, think on it and then respond. That I've learned to do this and do it ALL the time are two different things.

    So keep me in check, I don't mind it a bit. The last thing people need to read is the dribble from someone who finds themselves perfect and beyond reproach.

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  5. Ahh yeah... "As provable as gravity" is it. Not sure how I didn't see that on review, considering it is your most popular post. :-| Not something I think is really all that bad or would have even mentioned had it not struck the same cord in me you mentioned in this post.

    jf

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    1. It's the most popular now but "Shiny Boobs" is creeping up on it. Seems it's a very popular thing to google and my blog is now 5th on the list. :)

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  6. Also... you also learned me something in that post... I never noticed the punctuation in Eph 5:20-22, and I've never heard 21 taught as part the the above context, it is always dropped in to the marriage context. Good stuff that is. Made me poke around at a couple of difference translations... NIV(Nearly inspired version) appears to be what the lady was using. Most of the other mainline versions appear to either have a semicolon or comma, but definitely translate that verse as part of the above section. I believe NIV is this most popular modern version... might explain the continued feminist take over in the church.

    jf

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    Replies
    1. wow... english is my first language... but it might be hard to tell.

      Also... you learned me something in that post...

      ...different translations...

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