Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On
Yes, I’ve been listening to country music again.
I was laughing out loud in the car while I was driving to a mid afternoon meeting listening to this musical story. It got me ready for the words “the meeting was canceled” when I arrived.
In the song, Billy was having a pretty bad day and he decided to drown his woes with more than a few glasses of beer at the local watering hole.
As it can do with most of us, too much to drink can cloud our judgment. Billy hooks up with a woman that was – shall we say – not what he would even look at if he were sober. He doesn’t realize it because he had those “drank WAY too much” goggles on.
It occurs to me that life can be like that sometime. You know, it’s the “looking through rose colored glasses” for the boomers of us in the bunch.
There is something to say for the “Billy approach”…at least until the hangover gets there. We could all use a little loosening up sometimes. Now I don’t encourage over drinking as a way to resolve issues. Sometimes just not taking ourselves so seriously can be good for us.
I have no magic cure for the curves life throws at us. It does occur to me that there are some things worth thinking about when we find we are wound up in the stresses of the day.
1. Give yourself time to breath on an issue before you react to it. I call it “time out”. There is nothing wrong with saying you need to think about something before you react…especially if you are not happy with what’s going on.
2. Write down all the positives and negatives about the situation that are causing you stress and consider them carefully. Sometimes, writing it down can be a big help.
3. Exercise – Take a short walk, stretch, or do some other kind of healthy movement. That will get the cobwebs out.
4. Select the best plan of action for dealing with the situation and give it a try. I emphasize the “best” plan here. That means no one will get hurt physically or emotionally. Just resolve the issue in a positive fashion.
We all find ourselves frustrated on occasion. One of the worse things we can do is to keep adding frustration on top of frustration without resolving the issues. Poorer yet is that “beer goggle” approach where you just ignore it or try to drink it away in hopes “it will get better.”
If you find you can’t resolve an issue on your own, find someone you trust who can help you resolve it. There is nothing weak about doing that. In fact, smart people use all the resources they can to solve problems. Be smart.
My wish for you today: That you tackle life’s problems practically and with a goal of resolution that takes the high road. You’ll be proud of yourself for handling it that way. Then, you can go have that beer – or whatever liquid refreshment you care to – with friends.
Have a great day!
~Joellen