When Life Hands You Lemons

  I'm always amazed at how people respond so differently to bad news. Some handle bad news very well and can think fast on their feet with appropriate responses and actions. Others seem indifferent and just shrug it off. The more fragile will fall apart and become an emotional wreck. Then, there are those of us who clam up, say the wrong things, and come off as a complete moron.

 It never fails, when I get bad news my mind decides to go on vacation, leaving the shell of myself to deal with it on my own. I end up feeling awkward and give one of my typical responses, which is, "Well, ummm, ummm. Yeah, well, ummm." Later, when things have either settled down or are resolved, that's when my brain will come up with lots of useful ideas and suggestions. By then, it's usually too late to do anything and the damage of my dorkiness is done. 

  I often wish that I could hire a service to take the bad news for me, make whatever decisions that need to be made, give appropriate condolences, etc. All the while, giving me full credit for the good deed, no one having a problem with it, and it being totally acceptable in society. A "Bad News Handling Agency", perhaps? BNHA for short. The new catch phrase could be, "When life hands you lemons, hire someone else to solve the problem for you."