Monday, February 23, 2009

Making me angry.

I am easily annoyed and overly dramatic. Understanding that about myself - and having no shortage of people eager to point it out should I forget - I take steps to control it. I don't send the emails that I immediately write in response to petty nonsense. I bite back the sharp remarks and control the impatient gestures when someone says or does something of which I disapprove. My particular personality includes sensitivity toward hurt feelings as well as anger so I try to use some care at not accidentally poking at someone's sore spots.

"So," Adam said, "as I expected, this went white-hot very fast."

I replied with a bad word.

"Update me on the background," he ordered and I obediently began reciting what I knew, making sure to point out every single flaw I could remember about one particular colleague.

"She," I seethed, "whispered to make sure I wasn't invited to dinner." I remember blinking in surprise when she did it, but soon brushed it off and decided I didn't want to spend time with her anyway. "She has gone out of her way to exclude our team and then - when we have made progress and established relationships in spite of her - sends hysterical email to important people in the company because she heard a rumor that wasn't even true!" I detailed progress I'd made and waited while Adam took notes.

"OK," he finally said. "I'll handle it from here."

"I'm sorry," I said, suddenly sad that I'd let him down. "I know I drop the ball sometimes, but I didn't here. There's nothing more I could have done!"

"I know," he said, distracted but attempting to be soothing.

"I hate this," I sighed, feeling my lip emerge in a pout. "I know I get emotional and I actually like people who are passionate about their work. But I would never have gone to my boss's boss's boss with a petty complaint about a colleague without talking to her - multiple times! - first. She was wrong and unprofessional and vile." I nodded at the final word.

So, despite prayers requesting some help with forgiveness and peace, I feel like an angry cloud. "Oh, shut up," I mutter when someone says something with which I disagree. I call them names and delete feeds from my reader and make faces when I talk on the phone. And I plot. It's awful, but I formulate and discard various plans, all the while knowing that - given the opportunity - I'd pounce on it to make her suffer.

That's a terrible trait to recognize. It's one that - in my experience with other nemeses - fades with time. I wouldn't even recognize the little girl who hit me with a hairbrush when I was 5. I have no ill will toward the blonde who accused me of cheating on a science test in 7th grade. While I did take vicious pride when winning all the final awards in high school, I can't summon any residual emotion for the girl who shunned me because she was sure she was smarter than I. I don't even mind WWE anymore - she eventually realized I'd fight back and the effort cost more than it was worth. So we leave each other alone.

But this one - for now - should stay out of my way. At least until I figure out how to get a life and be a bigger person.

4 comments:

Psycgirl said...

You can't be perfect, right? Besides, recognizing your flaws is incredibly insightful - most people wouldn't even be able to do that!

Anonymous said...

I have no ill will toward the blonde who accused me of cheating on a science test in 7th grade.

You lie! And you know it! If you didn't still bear her ill will, you wouldn't even remember the incident.

post-doc said...

Thank you, Psycgirl. I like you very much.

Oh, shut up, Anonymous. Just because I remember doesn't mean anything other than I happen to remember stuff. Don't make me call you names.

Chris R said...

The human instinct for melodrama is almost universal, so you share this flaw with most of our species. Sadly, actually recognising it as a flaw is much rarer...

And Anonymous is entirely mistaken: forgiveness doesn't erase the hurt someone may have caused you - it's just a conscious decision not to let a painful memory out to wreak havoc in the present.

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