Need to Work off Your Aggressions?

Baking cinnamon rolls for my son’s birthday doubled as working off frustration after one particularly stressful day. “I need to Knead!” I announced on Facebook. My sweet friend Lois responded by posting a recipe for Aggression Cookies. Yes, it is just what it sounds like; you are actually encouraged to take your frustrations out on the cookie dough. I plan to make them this afternoon. I haven’t had a bad day, but beating up cookie dough does sound like fun. If you’d like to join me (maybe you have some emotions to vent), here is the recipe: Aggression Cookies Combine: 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup margarine (= 2 sticks -good quality stick margarine, softened NOTE: I don’t like margarine so I plan to use butter.) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal Mix all together until evenly distributed. THEN begin working it with your hands. Poke, knead, punch, squeeze, take out your aggressions on it. The more you punish it, the better the cookies. The margarine softens from the heat of your hands and finally gets all the dough soft and slick. Roll into small balls, place on cookie sheet and press down with heel of hand. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until done. Sometimes it helps to have a safe, healthy outlet for blowing off steam.

Let's Be Honest

I was having a great time at the writer’s conference, learning and reconnecting with friends that I only see once a year. God had given me some much-needed direction and I’d received great feedback on a story. So why did I suddenly feel like I would burst into tears any minute?

The truth? Every time I turned around one of my friends had exciting news that far surpassed mine. Life had forced me to set aside writing projects that weren’t bringing in an income and I could no longer deny that I resented it. I felt stuck and had no idea how to get unstuck. The event that sent my fun projects to the back burner had also rattled my confidence and I was in an environment where connections required a lot of that. The fact that I was tired and let the floodgates open by sharing a prayer request that morning only compounded my private emotional storm. The last straw came when my roommate shared some wonderful news of her own as we were walking back to our room. As soon as I got inside I felt the tears burning my eyes and throat.

“Okay, I just need to confess,” I managed to get out. “I am incredibly frustrated right now.”

“Why?” The gentleness in her voice melted the last bit of reserve that repressed my tears.

I spilled out everything, feeling like such a whiney baby. Why couldn’t I be happy for my friends and content with what God had already done for me?

Instead of making less of my feelings, this sweet friend shared them. “You’re right, Jeanette, it isn’t fair. It’s time for it to be your turn.” Instead of stopping there, she helped me come up with a plan. She not only encouraged me to take a fun project off the back burner, but promised to bug me like crazy until I finished it. The longer we talked, the more I felt my frustrations drive me to action. And it all started with being honest with a safe friend and with myself. In the process, I allowed myself to be honest with God.

That night at dinner, God opened a door for me to bounce an idea off a magazine editor. She like it! Other answers came in the next twenty-four hours. As I celebrated them, I recognized God’s hand in how all of this played out. I am convinced that He wanted me to hit the wall of frustration that trigged a flood of honesty. The blessings came after I cried out to Him what He already knew: “God, I’m tired of being stuck.”

When have you seen the benefits of being honest, both with yourself and with the One who knows you best? What do you need to be honest with Him about today?

So, How's That Working for You?

I like this expression that has eased into our society's collection of idioms. It has humor and a point. Humor with a point is good.

I have to admit, I don't like "No problem." Or even worse, "No problemo." as if that were legitimate Spanish. Instead of a gracious "you're welcome," or "my pleasure," "no problem" just sounds like a brush off. So "no problem" doesn't work for me.

But I digress.

The reason I like "So, how's that working for you?" is that it makes me laugh. I once had a box of books that I was giving away. A friend selected several to add to her bookshelf and lighten mine. In the box was a book about an apple cider vinegar diet. She held it up and asked, "Does this work?"

I pointedly looked down at my very round self and said, "no."

As flawed human beings, we have a tendency to persist when the evidence before our eyes should deter us. A young man has trouble attracting the attention of a certain young lady. He talks louder, laughs louder, makes inappropriate noises, and wonders why she's always looking the other way. Someone needs to say, "How's that working for you?"

A teen wants independence so she sneaks out, prevaricates over where she has been, and lifts a couple of dollars from her mother's purse on a regular basis. Her parents tighten the reins and keep a very close eye on her. "Hmm? How's that working for you, young lady?"

It's not as difficult to change behavior if we look at the truth. When I run head on into the same frustrating situation over and over again, I ask myself what brings me to this point.

It's still funny, and not nearly as humiliating, if I ask myself "So, how's that working for you?"

God has a way of helping us when we are honest with ourselves.