“The only failure is not knowing how to be happy.” —Celine Dion
As some of you know it was my birthday last month. I celebrated at a dinner party that a friend of mine invited me to where he hosted and brought in a chef to cook a 3-course meal with wine pairings and mock tails. There were about 45 people there. We sat down next to a couple we had never met before. The wife was really sweet and talkative. The husband was the opposite; he seemed annoyed during the whole meal.
I tried to engage with this guy and all he would do was scowl and complain about every course of the meal and the wine that was paired with each course. I spoke to others around my wife and I and they were laughing, talking, and enjoying every aspect of the evening. I was shocked at this guy’s boldness when my friend who was hosting this incredibly nice dinner got up and spoke about the menu and the pairings. The complainer started making negative comments in front of a large group who were attending the dinner.
Fortunately, the host handled his complaints with grace and the other attendees basically spoke up and rebutted his complaints which only seemed to make this guy even more agitated. I can understand if he didn’t like the food, not everyone has the same palate, but to openly complain in front of other guests who were enjoying the evening was just rude.
I was very annoyed, he was starting to ruin my evening, but I looked around and everyone else was having such a good time, I finally just ignored him and focused on my wife, the host, and the other guests who were enjoying themselves.
Then, I felt sad for this guy and his wife. It must really be hard to go through life and not be able to be happy in the middle of a joyful occasion. I only had to put up with it for a few hours, can’t imagine what it would be like to live with him as his wife has to do.
My prayer for all of you and this guy is that you can find ways to be content even in what you consider unpleasant circumstances. Don’t be the guy/gal who attempts to bring everyone else down to their level of misery.
Psalm 16:11, Philippians 4:11-13, John 16:33
TSK
As some of you know it was my birthday last month. I celebrated at a dinner party that a friend of mine invited me to where he hosted and brought in a chef to cook a 3-course meal with wine pairings and mock tails. There were about 45 people there. We sat down next to a couple we had never met before. The wife was really sweet and talkative. The husband was the opposite; he seemed annoyed during the whole meal.
I tried to engage with this guy and all he would do was scowl and complain about every course of the meal and the wine that was paired with each course. I spoke to others around my wife and I and they were laughing, talking, and enjoying every aspect of the evening. I was shocked at this guy’s boldness when my friend who was hosting this incredibly nice dinner got up and spoke about the menu and the pairings. The complainer started making negative comments in front of a large group who were attending the dinner.
Fortunately, the host handled his complaints with grace and the other attendees basically spoke up and rebutted his complaints which only seemed to make this guy even more agitated. I can understand if he didn’t like the food, not everyone has the same palate, but to openly complain in front of other guests who were enjoying the evening was just rude.
I was very annoyed, he was starting to ruin my evening, but I looked around and everyone else was having such a good time, I finally just ignored him and focused on my wife, the host, and the other guests who were enjoying themselves.
Then, I felt sad for this guy and his wife. It must really be hard to go through life and not be able to be happy in the middle of a joyful occasion. I only had to put up with it for a few hours, can’t imagine what it would be like to live with him as his wife has to do.
My prayer for all of you and this guy is that you can find ways to be content even in what you consider unpleasant circumstances. Don’t be the guy/gal who attempts to bring everyone else down to their level of misery.
Psalm 16:11, Philippians 4:11-13, John 16:33
TSK
