Member-only story
Middle-Pause Pump-Priming Prompt
When Life Throws Crap at You, Do You React? Or Respond?
It does make a difference, you know
You’re driving along and another car cuts in front of you abruptly. Do you flip them the bird or take a deep breath and give them space?
You open your utility bill and it’s literally twice what it was last month and you know you’re using less gas now that it’s spring. Do you rip the bill into shreds, or whisper an affirmation like, God’s got this or Jesus–-you’re up!
It’s your silver anniversary. Your partner of ten years takes you to a fancy restaurant normally out of your price range and tells you to order anything you want. So you splurge, relishing every culinary taste and texture, in what Uncle Bert would call hog heaven. While lingering over a final aperitif, your partner very sweetly and nonchalantly announces they’re leaving you.
Do you burst into tears and/or restrain yourself from reaching over and punching them for manipulating the evening so crudely? Or do you take a moment to collect yourself, and allowing your curiosity to lean forward, say something like, please tell me more about this?
In other words — and here we come to this week’s Middle-Pause Pump-Priming Prompt: Do you tend to react…
