It Happened a Couple of Weeks Ago
I was writing newsletter articles in an airplane. And was working offline.
I normally type directly into a newsletter template online. But I couldn’t since I was in a plane. So I had the idea to overwrite one of my old newsletter articles sitting in my inbox and save it as a draft.
Then I could copy the text to the online template when I got home.
This Worked Great for the First Article
But when I finished the second article, I realized that I had overwritten the entire first article. After writing two articles, I had only one to show for it!
I immediately got flushed and hot sitting there in my airplane seat. And started feeling helpless.
So I pulled out a Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet and started writing my thoughts about my computer, even though I knew it was really an operator error. That didn’t stop me from being mad at the computer.
Here’s What I Wrote
1. I am shaking with anger at my computer because it lost my newsletter.
2. I want it to give it back. I want it to tell me ahead of time the way it works. I want it to have compassion on me. I want it to not waste my time.
3. It should give a warning if I’m overwriting something. It should make it clear that I’m overwriting the old article. It should have a backup.
4. I need it to return my newsletter to me.
5. My computer is a thief, cruel, a nuisance.
6. I don’t ever want to have my hard work destroyed again.
It Was Amazing How Much Better I Felt
Just writing those thoughts down in the moment when it happened, got it off my chest. I love having a way to have a tantrum on paper without hurting anyone or anything.
My shaking disappeared. I felt like I had been heard.
I still haven’t even worked the worksheet. But I notice more tolerance for other computer glitches since then.
It’s As If I Worked It
And I still plan to work it. But just writing the worksheet with the intention to question what I wrote, opened something for me.
Later, I rewrote the article, and it turned out even better the second time. I look forward to seeing what more I can learn when I actually work the worksheet.
Have a great week,
Todd
P.S. Whew! I just remembered to hit the save button. 🙂
“Inquiry is more than a technique: It brings to life, from deep within us, an innate aspect of our being. When practiced for a while, inquiry takes on its own life within you. It appears whenever thoughts appear, as their balance and mate.” — Byron Katie, Loving What Is
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