It appears that I sometimes do not. This tiny wee icon, hidden in the array of numbers and dials on my car’s dashboard asks an important question. Is your key in the car? This is a useful feature if you notice it when you leave your home in Aberdeenshire, not so useful when you arrive in a client’s car park on the other side of the city like I did this morning, or even less useful when you notice it halfway to Dundee like I did this time last year.
What surprised me was my reaction this morning. I was raging! I was so annoyed with myself I was almost shaking. Partly because it’s technology I don’t need and would be happy with a normal key, but also because I did not learn from my mistake the previous year. I wanted to blame Audi for having a stupid tiny icon, then I wanted to blame the kids for making me run around like a crazy lunatic all morning, then that rage turned to other poor sods on the AWPR that were simply in my way as I turned my car around and headed home to pick up the key. (If I had actually turned off the engine, that would have been another level of rage that would have resulted in something other than a blog!)
Now I’ve calmed down I can see a pattern of behaviour that leads to such mistakes – trying to do too much at one time. Organising the kids, being followed by the dog and tripping over the cat led me to leave my car to run in the drive to defrost as I coordinated the chaos indoors.
I’ve had a few coffees and have allowed myself time to reflect, not to be so hard on myself, and not to apportion blame so quickly. It’s funny how the red mists descends when I least expect it, and it is good to remember that I can choose how I react to a situation and will try to remember that if I see that icon again. I’m not usually an angry person, honest!
Maybe I am learning from my mistakes after all, and the coaching skills I am developing allow me to reflect on my behaviour with more compassion to be kinder to myself.
Have a lovely weekend… and remember to take your car key!
