so, how does it happen?  I wonder these things when I see a grumpy man standing outside of Ikea waiting for it to open.  He is lifting his watch to the window and yelling through the window that they are late.  The employees open the door and say good morning and he mumbles, “you’re late.”  What happened to him?

I wonder if being grumpy is worth the extra energy?  Or is it the other way around… does it take more energy to be pleasant?

I was grumpy yesterday.  I wasn’t actually grumpy, I was irritated.  It was 4pm-the worst time of the day for me.  Zoe was pounding out her piano practice and arguing with me when I tried to show her the music and where she was making a mistake.  She couldn’t stop whining and then she was hanging on me and putting her hands in my hair.  Then she made Zane mad by messing with his trains and he was making loud noises and hanging on my legs because he wanted me to fix what Zoe’s messed up.  It was all too much at the moment.  I was tired, a headache was making headway and I just needed something quiet.  I went to my room and locked the door and told the kids that I need some quiet time.

I wasn’t being grumpy-I was still trying to be pleasant.  Is that an oxymoron?  I just told them the truth… I need some time alone.  They didn’t respect that at first and tried to unlock my door.  BUT, I have a top latch on my door, also known as the love lock.  (Sorry, was I not supposed to say that?)  I latched that baby, went to my bed where nobody could touch me, talk loudly too close to my ear, whine, or make me do anything.  It was bliss for a moment or two…

Grumpiness is still something I wonder about.  Isn’t it a choice?  If you are grumpy now, what happens when you are the guy at the door at Ikea?