I Was Thinking... Exasperation

In today’s fast paced society, anxiety and frustration are almost expected side effects of daily life. It seems there is always more to do than time allows. When things finally get to us, we tend to verbally express our exasperation.
Your upbringing, values, or your internal filter may affect what comes out of your mouth. What you say may also be influenced by who you are with, or where you are.
If you are of strong Norwegian heritage and spill your coffee during the after-church fellowship time, an UFFDA may be appropriate and expected. However, if you knocked over a gallon of paint on a job site, the expression may be a bit more colorful.
Sometimes it is the little things that cause us to vent our frustrations. You are dressed and ready to head out to work, and you take that last sip of coffee only to have it drip down the front of your shirt. An “oh brother” or “come on” or a “for Pete’s sake” may fit the bill as you try to wipe the coffee stain from your shirt.
Most would recognize these statements of irritation, especially said with the expected frustrated tone of voice. Yet you wonder where these expressions came from. Does anyone expect “a brother” or “Pete” to “come on” and help get rid of your coffee stain?
You finally get to work, and it has started to rain. As you get out of the car you step directly into a puddle that soaks your shoe and sock.
“Geez Louise”or “Good Grief” may work for some while others may utter terms that can’t be used in my column. But what does “Louise” have to do with your misfortune and what exactly is “Good Grief”? I thought grief was usually a bad thing.
All morning you’ve rushed to get to work early because you were expected to attend an important meeting. In addition to your stained shirt and wet foot, you ended up with a speeding ticket.
You finally rush into the conference room just barely in time to see a notice on the door informing you the meeting has been postponed until tomorrow. “Oh, for crying out loud” is verbalized at the same time you slam your briefcase on the floor. While you may be ready to cry, would doing so out loud really improve your situation. You turn and head toward your office.
As you enter, the secretary notifies you that since a meeting had been scheduled for the morning, the janitor decided it was a good time to shampoo the carpet in your office. “You’ve Got to be Kidding.” Apparently, she wasn’t “kidding” because the janitor was pushing the rug doctor around your office.
So, with no office, a wet foot and a stained shirt, you head to the break room to get a cup of coffee and plan how to salvage your day. Unfortunately, you are met with men with ladders and paint brushes who tell you the break room is being painted today. You wheel on the heel of your wet shoe and yell, “I’ve had it up to here, what else could possibly happen?”
I don’t know how high “up to here” is but it must be close to some kind of breaking point. Exasperated, you go back to your secretary and say, “I’m fed up with this, I’m going to work from home today.”
Normally if you are “fed up”, it is because you’ve eaten all you’ve wanted, but our frustrated office worker doesn’t seem to be expressing that sentiment.
As you reach the parking lot, you see a wrecker ready to tow your car. In the morning haste, you inadvertently parked in a handicapped spot. When the driver informs you, he is going to tow your car you reply, “over my dead body.”
While you don’t want to die or be driven over, you are “fit to be tied” and have by now “gone off the deep end.” So, the next time you feel overly anxious and frustrated, remember, things can always get worse.
 
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