This is what my 17-year-old son calls me when he thinks I need to smile more and be a little less serious.
He’ll walk up to me, usually when I’m on the couch trying to listen to a ballgame, and say in a very snarky voice, “No more Mr. Grumpygills. Does Mr. Grumpygills need a hug? Hmm? Hmm?” And then he’ll proceed to hug me as tight as possible while trying to make me laugh.
Why am I Mr. Grumpygills? What puts me in “that mood” at the end of the day, or on a Sunday afternoon?
There are probably multiple reasons why I end up as Mr. Grumpygills.
The better question is “What keeps me from becoming Mr. Grumpygills?”
One answer to this recently hit me.
The frequency and volume of my writing directly impacts my attitude.
Simply put, the more I write, the better I feel, and the better my days seem to go.
Over the course of the last year and a half, writing has become a go to activity for me. When the words are flowing out of my head and onto the screen (or paper), my attitude invariable improves.
Why? How does this work? What happens?
Well, I believe it has to do with God.
I am convinced God is calling me to write. To write this blog, and to write books. The more I write, the more I am obeying his desire for me. He blesses me, and my attitude, when I write.
There are words deep inside me, given to me by God, waiting to come out.
The words I write are for you, the reader, and for me. We are to learn and grow from these words. But, most importantly, the words I write, and the ideas I share, are for his glory.
I typically write about the experiences in my life. I share the good, the bad, and the glorious. This is what I’m called to do.
Who would have thought God would turn me into a writer. Certainly not me.
Until last year, I was a car salesman. That was my identity. Now I am so much more. More accurately, I realize I am so much more. I still sell cars. Really. I do. It is my Day Job. But it no longer defines me.
What defines me now? I believe my Twitter profile sums it up pretty well: “Proud dad, faithful husband, loving Christ, looking to inspire you to be awesome…”
I’m no longer defined by my occupation. Are you?
I am definitely not defined by my occupation but it’s funny how that’s the first thing men ask each other. So when you’re not Mr. Grumpygills, are you Mr. Happy Slappy?
I’m pretty sure my family will never call me Mr. Happy Slappy.
What an insightful question especially how you led up to it. I’m a little uncomfortable with my immediate answer. Thanks for the nudge to ponder this.
Nudge. Push. Shove. 🙂
I love this, Rick. I’m definitely a work in progress on this topic…
Tricia – We’re ALL a work in progress on this topic. It is so hard to change what has been drummed into us for decades. Keep working on it!
I think it’s pretty hard NOT to be identified with my occupation. When you’re spouse-less, child-less and live in a small town, sometimes it seems like your career is the only thing you have going for ya. I know it’s not true, but #thestruggleisreal. 🙂
Emily, good point. But I will say, adding those other titles, like spouse and parent, only muck it up even more. While I try to not identify myself by my Day Job, I should be alert to not identifying myself by a different title. We are a whole bunch of things. #stayoutabox
I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s exactly how I feel and right now it explains so much as I am not getting my much needed time to write like I should.
Shelly – Keep plugging away. I’ve now written 8 days in a row. It’s helping me remember each little step moves me closer to the goal. Even if I only get 200-300 words written, it stills helps.
I’m glad you are writing more because that’s one scary picture!
Ha! (Still working on today.)
This is awesome, Rick! In our house, we call it “Mr. Persnickety” (RARELY, if ever MRS. Persnickety….for obvious reasons.) 🙂
Ooh, did this one challenge me! I have never realized just how much my occupation defined me until cancer…when I had to step away from my business to care for myself & heal…which led me to become a stay-at-home mom (gulp…I am embarrassed to admit that the first time I said that, I followed it up with “But I have owned my own business for years, and…” You get the idea…defining myself through my work). God SOOOOO designed that perfectly, & I honestly wouldn’t change any of it, because I will NEVER get these years with my son back. I missed out on the first 4, working 80-90 hour weeks. Now, like you, I’m letting God call me to what’s next…when to hold back, when to press forward, when to just BE. Thank you for writing…now keep doing it. Preferably with pom pons. 😉
I can completely relate with you as it pertains to this topic. My wife used to blame my moods on low blood sugar. She’d lock me in a room, throw me a cookie and not let me out until I stopped being a jerk. These days, she simply throws me a laptop as well 🙂 Keep writing, my friend!