Week 4 Comment to Tim Edinger on "Being the Board"

Tim Edinger's Week 4 Blog Response

I connected most with the chapter 10 - Being the Board. I feel that is how I live my life for the most part. I don’t like to blame others. Everything that I do is because of a choice I made. I think that you could even take it a step further and not get angry for things that are out of your control. I now that my wife sometimes gets upset about certain situations, while I am not bothered - which upsets her even more. One time we went KFC with our family and some friends. The place was very busy and it only had three people were working. We had to wait for a much longer time than we normally would have. My wife felt that we should get a discount or something extra. I told her that they only had three people working and were working as hard and fast as they could. We didn’t need to be anywhere and could wait. I told here we could relax and spend some time talking with our friends while we waited. She felt that they could be more prepared and could have called in extra workers. I told her we didn’t know their situation - there could have been a sickness, gone to a funeral, or a number of other reasons why they only had three people. I felt there was no sense in getting upset with three people that were working as hard as they could to ensure everyone got their orders as quick as possible.

I also had a poem emailed to me that had a similar theme. It talks about someone getting cut off in traffic. The driver who gets cutoff is very upset and is yelling some choice words their way. At the end of the story we find out that the person who cut them off was upset and just left the hospital where a loved one had just passed away. There is no way we can no the situation or actions of others, so there is not sense that we get upset. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I try to be the “board.”

My Response

Thank you your insights. I commute daily in and out of NYC where the traffic is intense, as are some of the people. One day I was attempted to be "cut off" off by a driver as I was waiting on an exit ramp for over 15 minutes. It enraged me because I had been patiently waiting, so I decided not to let her in. She then rolled down her window in tears, and pointed to her infant in the back seat whom she was rushing to the hospital. I felt horrible. There are many stories and reasons behind the actions of others.