Paper cuts are the irritants of life. The actual ones are not bad enough for a bandaid. The symbolic ones don't propel you to complain to the manager. But, both kinds often repeat. After a day you think your finger is healing well enough and then you cut into a lemon. You've moved on from what happened at the store until you start telling the story of your poor customer service experience and get mad all over again.
A paper cut is that new random sound coming from the engine of the car that was just in the shop for something else. It's the undelivered paper, the intermittent loss of wifi or cellphone service, the second grader next door learning the violin. I'm sure you've got your own list and that we have some common issues.
In times of stress my list gets longer. Also, if I've just had one paper cut, another in quick succession gets more of my attention. All of that is normal, I think, and one can usually keep perspective in the normal scheme of things. My problem is that most headlines now seem like a paper cut. As much as I have always enjoyed reading the newspaper (an activity that rarely resulted in a real paper cut) or watching the nightly news, I find that both are full of irritants. Now it doesn't take much to set me off. I was not in a hurry yesterday when I got irritated at the driver in front of me who made space for another car to cut into our line. I made it through the light just fine, took a deep breath and sent a kind thought into the universe for the considerate driver.
I haven't yet figured out how to remain an informed citizen without the frustration. If you are suffering from the same malady and are looking for a solution, we should talk. Meanwhile, the best I can think is to try to not be a paper cut in someone else's life. Today I'll be intentional about waving a driver to go first.
Marilyn
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