Thresholds

Tammy was in a small accident this morning.  She was sitting at a stop sign when a young lady in a car bumped into the rear of Tammy’s van.  There was no damage to the van, but the other lady received a small crinkle on her bumper and, according to her, a “ruined day.”  Nobody was hurt.  Nobody lost their driver’s license.  Nobody even got a ticket, but the lady declared her day ruined.  Tammy assured the tearful young lady it would be OK.  There was no cause for a ruined day.  After more reassurance and a hug, they each went their separate ways, not even knowing each others name.

When Tammy first told me the story, I thought how I might have reacted had my bumper been crinkled.  I think Tammy is right.  A slightly crinkled bumper does not constitute a ruined day.  A lost job maybe.  A report of cancer probably.  The death of someone close, surely.  But a crinkle in a bumper?  It would seem this young lady must have her “ruined day threshold” set pretty low.  The whole story has me taking a closer look at my own day-status meter.  I am thinking of bumping the ruined day threshold up a couple of notches.  Why not?  The higher my ruined day threshold, the more good days I am likely to live.