Your Goat Gets Got A Lot

Yesterday, I knocked on my husband’s office door. When he came to open the door, his head was turned 90 degrees to the right away from me. Then he turned his head back towards me, then back again 90 degrees to the right looking intently at his computer monitor.

“I can’t believe what that guy just wrote on social media. What a jerk!” I didn’t say anything, but in my mind I thought, Wow, that’s some pretty intense energy. You went down the rabbit hole.

Whatever happened to those bucolic peaceful days of yore, when you didn’t know what everyone else was thinking? Sometimes I think we were much better off not being in the know. Worse yet, twenty four seven, in someone else’s know.

Then, this morning my husband walked in from the garage after listening to an interview on the radio and said, “You know this is just poor reporting!” After he vented and got it out of his system, I said to him, “Your goat gets got a lot.”

My comment made him stop and think. And he then laughed at himself. “Don’t take it so personally,” I said. “Heck, if you need to feel bad, there are many other ways to achieve that goal. Why go to these forums that incite you?”

No doubt, there are some people in this world who, for whatever reason, simply get our goat. My goat got got just the other day. And I had to consciously work on controlling my feelings. It wasn’t easy, but I kept at it until I felt at peace once again.

My father studied and practiced Buddhism throughout my life. I can remember sitting in front of the television with him and watching a staged scene play out. Every little fiber in my body believed it to be true. And, every time this happened, my father would say to me, “You need to understand, this is not real. Do not allow your emotions to get out of control.”

“But, it sure looked like that guy just got bopped in the face,” I reasoned back.

“It’s not real,” he would say in a calming voice.

I bring up this story because his guidance had a lasting effect on me. It is in our best interest to learn how to control our emotions. Especially in this day and age of rancorous, vitriolic exchanges. You can’t control what the other person will say or write. You can, however, control your reaction and response to it.

This is a practice that does not stop, much like your nose and ears that continue to grow. Conscious communication ain’t easy, I mean isn’t easy. Controlling your emotions just makes plain old good sense. So, please give it a try, when you become upset the next time you go down the rabbit hole. We are all in this together and it is time we set a better example.