COUNT 3-2-1

I count myself among those who truly believe in taking the high road—where, by the way, you can always find a parking space, since so few people go there. So you may be surprised to learn that I am also a big supporter of kvetching, complaining, whining, pillow-punching, etc. But at a certain point, you’ve got to stop all that. This is where the 3-2-1 rule comes in. Here's how it works. Take your current frustration (your spouse just insulted you, you screwed up in a meeting, you forgot to pay a bill and now you owe a late fee...) and assign it 1, 2 or 3, based on just how many days you want to get tied up in knots about it. For all the above, I'd say one day is plenty, but, hey, it's your screw-up. This means that you get one glorious day to OBSSESS about it. You don't have to stuff it, or pretend you're not pissed off, hurt, or embarrassed. You get to lick your wounds like a war martyr. For one day. Then you have to give it up already. Bigger stuff gets two days. Or three. I swear this works. I'm on Day Three as I write this, and in a few hours I'm going to have to let go of something and I am really, really, almostttttttttttttttttttttt ready. Really. I'm going to stop. I am.