When life is inconvenient, look at annoyances as a hint to look at the situation from a different perspective:
My old laptop was literally falling apart at the seams. I limped along with it, attaching the cord with packing tape, tilting the screen at just the right angle so the wires didn’t fall out, reminding myself frequently to save important files so they wouldn’t be lost when the computer died.
Then one day the screen went black. At first I thought it had gone to whatever cloud technology goes to when it dies. Then on a whim I looked online (on my phone) to see if there was a fix. The series of steps involved seemed ridiculous, akin to hopping on one foot while singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” backwards. But hey–it worked. The only problem was my battery could neither be revived nor replaced, so from then on I had to meet my deadlines tethered to an outlet.
That was annoying. Yet once I admitted it was inconvenient but not a catastrophe, things got better. I reminded myself that in years past I’d worked on clunky desktop computers and thought nothing of it. In college I’d typed on a Selectric and thought I was cool. In high school I wrote with a pen.
Here’s a painful fact: When I’m annoyed, it’s usually a sign that I’ve overlooked something in the thankfulness department. The only reason my laptop situation could even be annoying was that I had gainful employment and work to do.
Annoyances are real, and yet are never the whole story. I grumble at the long checkout line at the grocery store, forgetting that I get to wait because I have money to buy food. I become irritated by wet clothes after a sudden downpour, neglecting the all-too-obvious fact that we can’t live without water. I scowl at an interruption from my kids, ignoring the astonishing fact that I have a large and loving family.
This morning I’m writing on a spiffy new laptop. It has a functioning battery, flips open and shut smoothly, and every single letter on the keyboard works. It is amazing. I am thankful beyond thankful for how much easier it is for me to do my work now.
And yet, the annoyance of my laptop was useful. It helped me remember that when life is inconvenient, I need to look at annoyances as a hint that I need to look at the situation from a different perspective, and give thanks.
