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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Répondez s’il vous plaît

Another great painting by Jonathan Koch, this one called Oysters and Lemons. I use it perhaps to illustrate the abundance in my life right (joy, spring bloom) and the tartness, as I was pondering something that tends to make me cranky.

Aha! That makes it a Cranky Doodle Day as well as a Fat Tuesday in the blog.

Why do I always feel a little guilty for leaving out Cranky Doodle Day? It's good not to be cranky, right? Um, remember Bright-Sided, by Barbara Ehrenreich? Yes! Because I just returned it to the library. Well, hey, sometimes crankiness and complaining is good because it 1) points out crap 2) can lead to change 3) is part of real life, not falsely optimistic oversimplified unreal life. OK, that got me in the mood to crank!

So, what was making me cranky was the lack of response in several areas of my life. I won't go into it too much, but some is in personal relationships, and I can handle that in 1) risky conversation and 2) poetry. In fact, while today's poem-a-day prompt is "a particular kind of tree," the title of the poem I got from that is actually "Répondez s’il vous plaît."

Aha! That makes it also a Random Coinciday in the blog.

Anyhoo,...hmm, by now I am perfectly cheerful and have lost all crankiness, but I'll still try to crank it up. Yes! One of my poetry workshop participants was lamenting the lack of response to some of her submissions, and I'm sure a number of you can identify with that. I got a response today to a submission. It was a rejection! But even that doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is when a person (or organization) only contacts me when they want something from me. And they want it right now.

But if I need something from him or her or them, there is often no response. Usually, I just need more info, some kind of clarification, etc. If it has to do with what the person wants right now, I might get a response, so that I will give the person what he/she wants right now. If it is information that is important to me but not deemed important or urgent by that person...I will probably not hear back at all.

Or there will be a long silence.

Sigh...

Was that cranky enough? This crankiness actually led to a deep and important insight that I will share with you at a later time. Perhaps on a Thor's Day!

10 comments:

  1. I am only responding because I want that insight and I want it now!

    No, actually I had a very similar sort of situation that made me very cranky yesterday, but you have articulated it so well that I may be now be able to put it to rest.

    I love those paintings.

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  2. Ah, Seana, this is another thing I am glad I am not alone in...feeling cranky about!

    The insight may involve Calvinism.

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  3. All that luscious art makes the cranky fall away.

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  4. Gotta say your comments on my blog have saved me from many very cranky days. Plus, I've recently mailed a very important letter and gotten zero zip nada in response. Now I just wish I had some Sara Lee orange cake or an Edwards frozen Key lime pie. Crabby, or possibly cranky. Maybe it is the crazy tornado barometric pressure...

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  5. Nancy, I'm just glad you're OK. I am sending virtual Key lime pie through the power of my mind.

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  6. Sometimes expressing true feelings is construed as 'cranky' therefore takes on a negative connotation. I get the 'silent treatment' pretty often because I have a tendency of speaking out my 'true' feelings, unfiltered.

    Ooh la la, c'est la vie!

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  7. Thanks for the virtual pie. Think I might have to get a real one. Maybe not for breakfast, though.

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  8. Today I had apple dumpling pie for breakfast.

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Go ahead and comment, and I will publish it after I get an email notification! Thanks!