Meditation: Headspace, Losing Your Temper Length: 3 minutes Where: Office/Guest Room, Los Angeles How It Felt: Actually, amazing! So helpful!
What a day so far! I must be on a crazy frequency! Ahhhh, life.
As you can see, I chose a meditation called “Losing Your Temper” today. I actually didn’t feel like I had a temper, but I felt myself getting really frustrated, and mania can make you come in hot, so I wanted to take a second to cool myself down.
It actually worked really well! This morning was a series of things that started to build up to make me irritated. First, some drama I didn’t want to deal with (can we not be done with drama after we are say, 30? If you are over 30 and still causing drama and can’t communicate or handle your feelings, just go to therapy. It’s not cute anymore.) Then, my poor cat (it’s not his fault!) has been driving me crazy. He was up early yelling all about it (more on that in a minute), then seemed starving, then took a big, smelly poo just as I sat down with my tea, then puked everywhere as I was dealing with his litter box.
People. Pets are no joke! I love this boy with all my heart- it’s not his fault he gets backed up here and there!- but sometimes you just want to call the housekeeper to take care of things.
Oh, yeah… I don’t have a housekeeper! I’m the housekeeper!
The biggest thing that has me on edge is this roofing issue. Really, it’s a communication issue. Why can’t people communicate clearly? What is the deal? Why can’t full grown ass adults just say, “here’s the thing. This is the real thing. This is the information you need.” I will never understand this.
People who can’t communicate drive me craaaaaaaazy. (Again, please see my previous suggestion to try therapy.)
And you know who purposely communicates terribly? Contractors. Why??
So, I’m president of the HOA, right? Imagine you hire people to come do work on your sundeck, which is right above your unit. Standard work, a standard gig. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Imagine these people tell you it will take five days. Ok. Sure! Five days of pounding and working and general noise right above your bed early in the morning. Let’s say you are someone who is a night owl, but you know you can figure it out for five silly days. You’ll be a little tired. Whatever.
Then let’s pretend they just keep coming. Waking you up more and more days, into the next week. Why? You write your property management company, who didn’t even realize they are still working. Suddenly, you receive a notice. The roof people will be there an entire second week.
Ok. It’s easy to think, this is not a life-changing big deal. Totally true. 100% correct. But… why? Ostensibly this is their job. They were contracted to do the thing they do frequently. This isn’t the first time, nor the last time they will perform this work. How could they have been that far off on their estimate of time it will take? TWICE as long?
So, it becomes apparent they are just doing the thing 90% of contractors do. They say whatever to get the job, then know you won’t want to replace them halfway through.
In short, it’s a huge lie.
There were no speed bumps. No emergencies. No rainy days, nothing to throw off the schedule. Maybe a day or two, but twice as long? That’s just a lie.
Now imagine you get a notice that they will continue working on Saturday of that week, and into Monday of a third week. What?? So, the time estimate they gave you wasn’t even just a little lie to secure the contract at this point. It was just entirely fiction. Make believe. In no world did they believe they could finish in five days. It wasn’t a fudge or highly optimistic.
That, to me, is basically a con at that point. But, for some reason, we just accept it from contractors. We take it. We get trapped and have no choice. But… if they are all doing it, what’s the point? You get three bids, they all say it will take 30% of the time they know they need…. why not just all be honest? What on earth?
So, this will shock you, but it’s Wednesday of the third week, and they are still going strong. Early in the morning. Every day. I asked again about an end date, and was given a vague, “in the coming days.”
Oh, thanks. That really clears things up! So, not in the days that have passed? Glad you clarified that. They’ll be finished at some day, which is still to come. Ah. Of course.
So, either it’s going to still be a really long time and they don’t want to admit it… or, I guess, they are so terrible at what they do that they literally have no idea how long any part of the job will take, even as they theoretically get to the end.
This is madness.
Lucky for me, I have a great guard cat who is sure to wake me and alert me to any strange sounds! So, even if my ear plugs block out the incessant pounding above, Tigre will so kindly get right into my face to be sure I know what’s up!
I can’t plan. Can’t get a straight answer. Could drug myself into early sleep, I suppose, but considering I have no idea how long I’ll need to do that, kind of a risky option!
Here’s my point: just say the thing. For heaven’s sake- SAY THE THING! We have communication available to us and we use it to do the opposite of communicating. I cannot make this make sense!
You know who should go to therapy? Contractors. That’s who.
Lord, beer me strength!
My Year of Meditation 