Inane thoughts and insane ramblings

Beware the "sucker’s choice". I just made one recently. No, I’m not talking about deciding what type of lollipop you want to buy. In Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations, Patterson, et al discuss the "sucker’s choice" as a situation where someone tells themselves that there are only two options in a given situation and both of them are distasteful. It is "either / or" thinking. For example, should I be honest and hurt my spouse’s feelings or should I "be kind" and withhold how I really feel? Sometimes, a "sucker’s choice" arises just because someone has failed to look for healthier alternatives. Other times, we deliberately use the "sucker’s choice" to justify our own bad behavior or actions. Patterson gives an example of this:

What was my "sucker’s choice"? I knew about "sucker’s choices" but I allowed myself to get drawn into one regarding journals. I let myself believe that I could either quit journalling online or continue to let it take up too much of my already limited time. So I turned off alerts, tucked tail and ran.

Patterson et al recommend a simple approach to moving ahead when you feel you are being faced with a "sucker’s choice". Search for the elusive and.

Simple? Yes, when you look at it from the outside. But when you find yourself faced with such a decision, just framing the questionthis way puts your brain in a creative problem solving mode. So now, I am going to make sure that all of the journals that I had on alerts are listing in my journal folder that I have on my "favorite places" tab. Then, I can just read the 40 or so of them on the weekend at my leisure instead of getting 100 or so emails a day, which just stressed me out.

You knew I just couldn’t walk away from Jland, didn’t you? And with that, I leave you the following with apologies to Gloria Gaynor:

To the tune of "I Will Survive"

At first I was afraid I was petrified
I opened my email box and saw 100 alerts inside;
But then I spent so many nights
Reading all night long
And I grew strong
And so I'm back, in Jland space
I just walked in to find your entry about some nut case
I should have turned off my alerts
Even though I liked your journal OK
If I'd've known for just one second that you write 10 entries a day!
Go on now, go write 4 more
I don’t care now
('cause) I’m not reading daily anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to bury me with email
Did I crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and flail?
Oh no, not.I. I will survive
Oh as long as I know how to RSS I know I'll stay alive;
I've got all my life to read,
Even if you’ve got "comment greed",
I will survive. Hey hey.
It took all the strength I had not to lose my head
Kept trying' hard to read the entries about your brother Fred,
And I spent oh so many nights
Just trying to get caught up. I used to cry
But now I hold my head up high
And you see me somebody free
I'm not glued to my PC like I used to be,
And so you feel like droppin' in
And just expect me to hear your say
Now I'm savin' all my reading' for sometime on Saturday
Go on now.. etc.

Sorry…..I couldn’t resist. I’m glad to be back!