Restart

Have you ever been working diligently on your computer when all of a sudden it seems to bog down or freeze up or just not be working right?  No matter what screens you clear or other methods of repair, nothing seems to help so in an effort to clear the system, you finally resort to clicking the good old restart tab.  When the computer comes back on, whatever was bogging it down before seems to be cleared up and you can move along on your merry way. 

Perhaps humans are more like computers than we realize...for just the other day I needed a restart and didn't even know it.  It was Sunday afternoon and we were on our way home from church.  A comment a gentleman had made just before leaving was bothering me.  It was one of those comments that you have to assume was made without thought or intent to hurt, and so you must carry on with a smile.  But in the car ride home the comment still bothered me and I even expressed it to my husband.  As usual, Mr. Pragmatic and Unemotional, he brushed my concerns aside with "What are you going to do about it?"  I knew that there was nothing I could do about the comment, but it didn't stop me from stewing over it. 

Back at home the rest of the family scattered to their usual after-church routines and I moped around the kitchen wondering what quick response to that guy would have made him realize what he'd said was hurtful.  But knowing I couldn't have responded in any way without looking like I was lashing out, I was left to try to shake the bad feelings the comment had caused.  But try as I might, I just couldn't snap out of it. I finally wound up on the couch near our woodstove, wanting to be alone and trying not to cry.  Sitting there in the warmth of the fire I felt drowsy and stretched out on the couch instead.  Somehow I fell asleep and an hour later I woke up to the sounds of the kids playing and felt much better!  Well, that nap was the little restart button I didn't know I needed, because whatever was bogging me down emotionally before was completely gone from my mind. I was able to continue on my merry way, clear headed and fully functioning the rest of the day.  Thank goodness!