Why tiny things can send us over the edge
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There’s a story that’s famous in my family. When my siblings and I were kids, we were supposed to be sleeping, but instead we were up late and still making noise. My dad came stomping down the hall and yelled, “QUIET! I don’t want to hear another peep out of you!” He only made it halfway back to his bed when my brother quietly said… “Peeeeeeeeeep!” My dad absolutely lost it and blasted off like a rocket ship to outer space. We thought it was hilarious. He did not. :) Now, lest you think my dad was always short-fused… Compare that to another day when I accidentally drove my dad’s brand-new snowmobile through a barbed wire fence, hit a tree, broke the ski, and tore a huge hole in my expensive new ski suit. I had basically wrecked everything. And my dad? He rushed over to make sure I was okay. He didn’t yell at me or shame me or ask me how in the world I managed to hit the only tree in a big empty field ;) Still 30 years later, he’s never brought it up. Same person. Two completely different reactions. Why? Capacity. The thing that sets you off isn’t always the whole problem. Sometimes you have the capacity to take things in stride, and sometimes you’ve simply reached the final… “Peeeeeeeeeep.” :) This is one of the things we’re practicing in 40 Days of Peace. Building more capacity. This isn’t about trying to become someone who never gets triggered. This is about creating more space before you hit the threshold, as well as more skill in compassionately supporting yourself when you do cross over that “peep” tipping point. How can you support yourself before you hit your limit—as well as after? That’s the kind of peace I’m interested in. Capacity.
Peacefully, Brooke |
