how do you spell frustration?

How often do you get frustrated? What is your knee-jerk reaction to this unpleasant feeling?

I spent last weekend enjoying several of my children as we celebrated my birthday in Baltimore, one of my favorite places. I had arranged for rooms for two of my daughters through points and free days with Hilton.  I usually get about two free weeks a year through their loyalty plan, which is nice to use personally and give away.

When I checked in to the hotel, they had two rooms reserved for my daughters but none for me. And the hotel was fully booked both nights. I pleaded that I had made a reservation, to which the registration desk person agreed. But there was a problem; my reservation was for the night before!  In my haste to get rooms for my daughters, I had overlooked the reservation date. Argh!  I begged for mercy, but she could not kick someone out of their room because I screwed up.  But I’m more important, right? Nope.

I needed to find another room, hopefully of the same brand of which there were three more properties with a few blocks. I opened my handy-dandy hotel app and started the search. To my chagrin, there were no rooms available anywhere close. This situation was getting desperate and frustrating. All the hotels of all brands were fully booked.

However, I’ve traveled enough to know that sometimes hotel apps are not entirely accurate. So, I started making phone calls, and, as God would have it, I found a room within two blocks of my daughters.  The only problem was that I was now out of award points, and this was a costly room. I was not yet able to have my points restored for the mistaken room I booked. There was no way I was not staying near my family, so I buckled and took the room.  I love this hotel, so it wasn’t that bad.

I had also already parked my car in one garage and would have to move to another one. My birthday weekend is getting expensive! I paid for two nights of parking instead of one.

There was a time when I would have been steaming on the inside and about to explode on the outside. Not so today.

I had sinus surgery about three weeks ago. It was rather extensive and far more involved than I expected. The healing time has been slow and arduous. Blowing saline up my nose three times a day is not my idea of fun. But I can breathe, so I’ve got that going for me.

My sinus doctor/surgeon removed the second pair of stints today, along with violating my nose with instruments that should only appear in torture chambers. I think the military replaced waterboarding with this procedure.  Everyone talks. He explained that my sinuses were healing nicely, and I would only need one more round of antibiotics, one round of steroids, and two months of saline up the snout three times a day. I hope the positive result of this procedure lasts for the remainder of my life!

On the way home from the nose doc, I stopped at the drug store to replenish the saline solution. Somehow, I ended up in the candy aisle. I don’t eat much candy, but at this particular moment, a voice from heaven steered me towards the Werther’s Soft Caramel bits. Chewy caramels are my favorite form of sugar. I’m pretty sure this delicacy replaced manna when the Israelites complained about the same ole, same ole every day in the wilderness.

Five pieces equal 140 calories, so I counted them out and began unwrapping each morsel and savoring them as I drove.  I finally got to the last bite. As I was chewing, I felt something strange in my mouth. It was hard and not something I wanted to bite. What in the world was in my caramel?  I spit the whole thing into my hand, and that is when I discovered my tooth! I ran my tongue across my upper left jaw and noticed a gaping hole where the crown of my implant should have been. Instead, the pearly white was in the middle of a large glob of chewy candy.

This implant is not quite a year old, and it took two years to get it in the first place. Now I’m holding it with one hand while driving with the other. At home, it took several minutes to get all the caramel off the tooth. Fortunately, my dentist brought me in first thing this morning and did the repairs. There was only one problem there. 

My old dental insurance expired in May, so I purchased one online. I made sure my doctor was listed as a preferred provider. When I presented my new insurance card to the receptionist, I was informed that they do not take that insurance!  Argh!  So, while waiting to get into the dentist’s chair, I looked up the provider list. My dentist indeed appeared on their list because the insurance company refused to remove my dentist even though she is not one of their providers. So, I’ve been paying for dental insurance for five months which does not cover me! 

Fortunately, my dentist graciously did not charge me a penny for her services.  She’s the best.

Oh, and there’s one more exciting event in the life of Don Mark this week. I have a wonderful office downstairs where I’ve spent many hours working. It is all set up for Zoom calls since the lighting is good quality. My future son-in-law stayed with me one night this week. He needed to work, so he set up shop in my office. However, when he flipped on the lights, they did not work. These new lights were just installed about six months ago. What the crap!  I tested all the breakers, took apart and reassembled the light switch, and finally called my contractor friend, who instructed me to check the system. I did, and I’m still in the dark. Why in the world do perfectly good lights just decide to go out one day? 

Do you ever get frustrated?  I do.  Do you lose your cool?  I do. That is my knee-jerk reaction to frustration.  Can I tell you something?  It does not help the situation.

I am a work in progress, and I have learned a few things about handling frustration. Here are some suggestions.

Count to ten before you pop a cork.  It does help. And, if it does not help, at least you had ten more seconds to build up steam when you pop your cork.

Turn the situation on its head.  Let’s face it, a guy driving down the road with a slobbery tooth-filled caramel in his messy hand is nothing short of funny. If I saw the scene on Seinfeld, I would be laughing. An hour or a day from now, your momentary frustration will be a thing of the past unless you did something stupid in reaction to it. Many frustrating moments end up being an excellent, funny story.

Look on the bright side. At least I have the availability of a surgeon who could improve my breathing after many years of less-than-optimal nasal passages. I also have a dentist who sees me quickly and repairs the problem for free. And I got into the situation because I could stop at any number of stores and get my favorite candy.  As for my lights, I already figured out another way to light the room until I get it repaired. Folks, as frustrating as they are, these are first-world problems. There is nearly always another side to frustrating situations.

Hold your temper and your tongue. I’ve said more stupid and sometimes hurtful words out of frustration than should have ever been uttered. An angry conversation is rarely productive.  Plus, why should I ruin someone else’s day just because mine has been yucky?

I often think of Jesus as He traveled around the countryside with His disciples. They asked more than their share of stupid questions, argued with one another regularly, vied for His attention, mistreated people, and often seriously overstated their commitment to His cause. I can hear the Savior saying to Himself, “Are these guys really this stupid?”  What frustration He must have endured.

Well, the answer is a resounding “yes” Lord, we are indeed that stupid. So, thank You for not writing us off, zapping us with a bolt of lightning, or yelling at us. You are indeed a patient Savior. May we learn to follow suit.

So, what frustrates you?  What is your knee-jerk reaction?  How can you improve? Start today.

Live Inspired!

Don Mark

P.S.  I would like to thank all of you who donated to Gail’s Girls last week in honor of Gail’s third re-birthday and my 67th.  We raised over $2,000!  There will be many more people joining us in heaven because of your generosity. www.gailsgirls.org