I was an Ass, and I was the last to notice. I’m sure that kind of thing has never happened to you – right?
In the world we live in today, it seems everything moves so quickly that we all do our best to keep up. 24-hour news, high-speed internet, grocery delivery in an hour. And who cares if an Amazon delivery driver has to pee in a bottle, I want my stuff, and I want it now!
After living several years in a rural setting, I thought I was heeding the advice I give my clients, “You have to slow down before you can go fast.” But, unfortunately, most don’t listen to me the first time. It turns out that I didn’t either.
Joi and I are traveling full-time in our RV for a few months while searching for our next home. We found out how quickly life can change when we found ourselves at a campground in a dry country with a minimal internet connection. With no wine and no Netflix, we had to slow down and enjoy our fellow adventurers around the campfire. It was refreshing and almost like being a child playing hide-and-seek after dark. We went to sleep happy and relax, but the following day everything changed when Joi’s laptop stopped working.
In an instant, I found myself in “get out of my way, I gotta fix it now mode” and heading to Asheville to buy up a new computer. At that moment, only a police escort would have slowed me down.
Once in town, our first stop was lunch before Joi started to get “Hangry,” but the minute I step through the door, something was different. People were calm, cool, and kind.
Next was the electronics store with more calm, cool, and kind people. When I was shocked they didn’t have the exact computer I wanted in stock, they kindly said, “I would be happy to get it from another store for you. Can you come by tomorrow?”
NO! I can’t come back tomorrow! Come on! I’m living the American dream of traveling the country in my RV – I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!
At the pet store, the cashier asked, “How are guys today? Are you having a good day?” It happened at the drug store too. For just a moment, I felt like Micheal J Fox listening to the weather report in the movie Doc Hollywood. Everything sounded so calm, cool, and kind, and I got the message.
On the way out of our last stop, I said to my wife, “I think I’m an Ass, and I should slow down and be nicer. So my new mantra is always to be calm, cool, and nice.”
With that, she said, “I thought that was already your mantra. I think we need more practice. Let’s do some more shopping.”
That, my friend, is what I call the “Wisdom of the Wife.”