A little aside at the end of the week...

Something lighter tonight, a little whimsey perhaps... 

The other day I missed my flight to Auckland (my mistake entirely) so I had to re-book, for a fee of course! When I arrived at my destination the car rental agency took a good thirty minutes to pick me up from the airport and then it was another forty-five minutes waiting at their office to get the car that I had pre-booked. All part of the adventure of travelling and getting upset about it wouldn't change things so largely I just took it as an opportunity to practice patience (and for those of you who don't know me, I can do with the practice!) But this experience did get me thinking about frustration. 

Frustration is described as the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something. Frustration sounds so negative but isn't that just the connotation we put on the word? We create the unfavourable meaning and really it is subjective, it is about how we feel when we are unable to do or get what we want. I don't think frustration is all bad. I'd even say that poor old frustration has been given a bad rap. 

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention but, if not a synonym for necessity, I would pose that frustration is a very close relative- I am no wordsmith but personally I think that necessity is just a slightly more positive turn of phrase. Frustration can lead to creativity, innovation and discovery. Babies can discover their world and their abilities through frustration. Think about why we learn to crawl and walk, it is to do with wanting to reach something or get somewhere that we can't from being stuck in the one spot where we were put. And look at how the world opens up when we master those gross motor functions... there are pot cupboards and pet food bowls and so much more to be explored. It allows us to more fully engage in our world. And we go on from there. 

As we grow we have a choice when faced with frustrating times, we can remain in the negative space of frustration, like being stuck in the spot where we are put, or use the frustration positively to propel us forward into a new way of doing, thinking or being. 

And if you think about it there are a whole lot of other words and phrases that we can use to our detriment or advantage depending on the meaning we place on them. Do you have any that come to mind? I'd love to hear them. 

Thanks again for your feedback and support as I am starting this writing journey, it is a great learning experience.