The word crotchety popped up while I was reflecting on the destructive power of a critical
spirit this morning, The remarkable thing about this word is not only does it
sound like it means (crotchety=cantankerous and contrary) but it has a whole
bunch of relatives—a whole crotchety clan of adjectives—who also reflect their
meanings straight up.
Meet cousins crusty, crabby, surly, snarky, liverish, fractious,
peevish, irascible, prickly and testy.
Usually, crotchety is followed by “old”—a crotchety old man.
(Although when I asked my daughter to use crotchety in a sentence, she said,
without hesitation mind you, “a crotchety old woman . . .” Hmm.
But as I considered this, I concluded a crotchety disposition
doesn’t just show up along with the social security check one day. Granted, as
we age we get more settled in habit, prefer peace to chaos, and order to
disorder, the latter more likely a response to the need to find things. A bit
of prickle may be in order, but a cantankerous spirit is a reflection of a
lifetime of critical, annoyed, and intolerant responses.
Likewise, a generous, gracious spirit in old age is a result
of a lifetime of practice in honoring others, in picking the logs out of your
own eye before seeing them in others’.
I am reminded of a story I read in one of Dale Carnegie’s
books about Bob Hoover, a famous pilot. He was coming back from an air show
when the engines in his plane failed. He managed to land safely, although the
plane suffered much damaged. Hoover immediately understood the problem: a
mechanic had put jet fuel in his prop plane instead of gasoline.
This was no little annoyance. This was a you-deserve-a
whoppin’ kind of mistake. A matter of
life and limb.
The mechanic was understandably distraught when Hoover came
to see him. But instead of berating him or dishing out his deserved punishment,
Hoover told the mechanic that because he knew he would never make that mistake
again, he wanted him to service his plane the next day.
Now that is an example of great character. Character that
didn’t just show up one fine moment. Character, I suspect, that was developed, strengthened,
and honed over a lifetime of practice.
We have a choice today what the lines on our faces will
reveal tomorrow.
Time to kiss the crotchey kin goodbye.
May you recognize the grace, may you see his face in all you do today.
Marcia
Wow, that's quite a story, Marcia. I'd have had to talk to myself a while before I could have that kind of response! One of my favorite books is "How to be a sweet old lady and not a grumpy old grouch." It's long out of print, unfortunately, but I found it when I was in my 30s. It's made such a difference in the way I think, which (hopefully) influences the way I behave. I don't want to be a crotchety old lady, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteSusan, I love the title of that book, and no, I don't think there's any chance of your being a crotchety old lady!
ReplyDeleteLoved your devotional, and your book which I just reviewed for Thomas Nelson :) You can read my review if you wish, but I just wanted you to know how much I was impacted by your story! Thank you for being faithful to the Lord and being faithful to share about your journey !
ReplyDeletehttp://reed2me.blogspot.com/2013/01/call-of-coward.html