“Always do the right thing.”
Up until the end of last year, I used this phrase almost every day to remind my son of what was important.
Then I did what I felt was the right thing, but it had repercussions that didn’t feel so right after all.
I found myself in a funk. One day, my son said to me, tactfully, “Ma, you’ve been telling me to let you know what’s on my mind instead of holding it in. I wanted to tell you… well, you’re all tense lately and it’s bringing me down.”
Surprised by his candor, I realized that he was right.
So when I noticed today that my son was down, I returned the favor of unvarnished honesty:
“Get your zhoozh back, honey. You’re bringing me down.”
So, really. How do you find your way out of a deep, dark funk?
Well, you learn how to “un-funk” yourself.
Do something to change the channel your mind is on. Get up and leave the room if this is where the funk began. Go out. Walk the dog. Listen to Brian Regan (a rare clean comic). Go to the bakery and ogle the cannolis. Write a haiku. Watch Keyboard Cat. Watch Nyan Cat. Watch Ella scat.
It is possible to climb out of a funk, but it takes time. As of this year, I’ve officially retired the phrase, “Always do the right thing,” since “The right thing” is often subjective and elusive. Now when my son asks my opinion, I say, “It’s your world.” As in, I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m going to remember that sometimes the best way to encourage someone you love is just to be there. Provide prayer and practical advice and leave it all in God’s hands.
3 comments
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January 12, 2012 at 9:14 pm
loristrawn
Sorry about the funk, Ruthie. One of my favorite de-funk-ifiers is to recall bits of literature that make me laugh. This one gets me every time (from Joan Didion’s “Democracy”):
“I’d be leery of those ice cubes if I were you, Frances. Ice cubes are not a national craft.”
C’mon folks, chime in! Literature that makes you laugh…go!
January 12, 2012 at 10:20 pm
suebe
Mine isn’t so much literature that makes me laugh, but movies. I especially like kids movies like Chicken Little.
–SueBE
January 12, 2012 at 10:25 pm
rhcwilliams
Thanks, ladies. I like to think of funny bits from shows like Carol Burnett. She had a take-off of Gone With the Wind where she ends up wearing a curtain-dress that still busts me up to this day. Whatever it takes to lift the fog of funk, I say, go for it.