Attitude Adjustment

Started off the day well on my way to having a "no good, horrible, very bad day." Litany: not hearing the radio alarm, so arising late; not being able to find parking for a while at USC; finding parking and having to use up all my change because it turns out that the parking garage uses meters (meters!); discovering that I could/should have gone to the free (free!) garage right across the street--but didn't know about it because staff from our program hadn't received all the info sent by workshop planners; sitting in an all day session with talking heads going on and on about WMD's in a building with mondo security and a "no food or open containers allowed" (i.e., no caffeine or glucose) in rooms policy, etc.

So, really, what we had was a series of inconveniences. Irritating, and certainly unpleasant to me, but mostly things that interferred with my getting to do as I pleased. I recognized by the middle of the 1st break that my attitude stank. I was embarrassed, but glad that the Holy Spirit let me know before someone else did.

Strolled over to Daily Mass during the lunch break. Attendance was one priest and two parishioners. The older man sitting near me, fervently fingering his beads before Mass, made a couple of comments and expressed a prayer intention wherein he bared a tiny bit of his soul regarding his grief about a family issue.

So, I'm out 10 quarters and a bit under-caffeinated. Other folks have real problems. The struggle to keep inconvenience in perspective seems to be on-going for me. I'm sure God will give me many more opportunities to learn to accept what comes with grace.