Do you ever have one of those days? It starts out with yet another cold, rainy day. The daffodils and tulips are doing their darnedest– but damn! This is spring? The light–weight clothes stay in the closet, again. Out comes the sweater, wool skirt and boots. Breakfast was OK (coffee is good) but then, just when you are looking forward to a quick, hot shower, the shower door falls off its hinges! What the f…!?
So yes, I had a wee bit of a meltdown. Does being a psychologist mean I am serene and well put together at all times? If you were a fly on my bathroom wall this morning you would see how the answer to that question is a great big fat NO! The shock of the door nearly giving me a concussion plus the frustration of not being able to take a shower triggered an avalanche of a million points of darkness. Before too long I was in full rant. Being entirely aware that I was being a little miss whiney pants was not enough to break the bad thought cycle. Thankfully I had help handy in the form of my trusty husband. I just had to swallow my pride and ask for him for it.
He sat with me and pointed out the obvious as I sniffed; the stuff I was in too black a mood to see. Stuff like we have a good life, good kids who weren’t into creative tattoos or peircings. We had each other and the broken shower door, which, as annoying as it was, didn’t change that. His reasonableness was what I needed to hear. It was my life saver.
Now as I write this I think of so many people in real need; people who have lost everything, not just a stupid shower door. If they meltdown, all I would do would be to hold them and say, yes, you have a right to your meltdown. There’s nothing reasonable in what has happened to you. Cry, rant, and then we’ll see what needs to be done. Take your time.
For now, just for fun, because I’m thinking I’m not the only one who could use a smile, here’s Amy Adams, in Julie & Julia, having a lovely, ever so silly, meltdown moment:
