Check in #2 -- Whose world is it?

(Note, this is a check in for the whose world is it challenge)

To quickly sum up the last few days -- I would tally up my score on Tuesday with "Honorable Mention". Though it's a bit of a blur now, I'm quite confident that all of Wednesday and most of Thursday would have earned me one of those awards you get when the contest you have entered is determined to give everyone a prize (e.g. "Also Ran").

Luckily, by Thursday evening I started well on my way to "Shows Improvement" and who knows, by the end of my parents' trip I'm sure I'll be somewhere along a B+ or an A. Of course, right now it's easy. The whole point is to be able to behave this way when it's *not* easy.

For those of you who like details:
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Monday night we agreed to get an early start on Tuesday morning. However, at some point before hitting the sack (unbeknown to me) Christian decided we should sleep in since we had to wake up early on Wednesday and Thursday. Alarms were reset...
Tuesday saw us to bed at around 4 in the morning. This was not either of our preference, but we wanted to get in all the coats of priming required to be in a position to paint on Wednesday. I might have forgotten to mention, but Christian had forgotten to mention that he had a presentation to put together for Wednesday.
As it got later and later, and I got more and more tired, I grew more and more annoyed with my partner. But you know, I could have gotten started with work as soon as I had woken up instead of waiting for a second pair of hands. Plus there are plenty of things I could have gotten started with weeks ago. And, even if we had gotten an early start, it's possible we still would have been up just as late. (Have you ever noticed that sometimes, when you have a big job to do, it magically expands to fill up all the time that you give it?)
After some (much) grumpiness and grumbling on my part, I did manage to reign myself in and remember Christian's world. I offered to finish up his remaining tasks in the apartment to give him extra time to prepare his presentation.

On Wednesday, Christian comforted me with "you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. We're tired, we've got a deadline on our heads, and we've got tough work on our hands." Isn't that someone you would want to be a better person for?

Thursday was especially stressful for me. As we neared the time that we had to leave the house, Christian was frantically finishing up. He was being helpful! And I wasn't able to express clearly enough that my priority was to be at the airport on time over a little bit of disorganization remaining. I could not be late to pick up my parents!

Sometimes, getting someone out of the house before they are well and ready is like herding cats. By the time we were on our way, I knew we would be late. As I drove, and this realization sunk in more deeply, I could not contain myself -- I burst into tears. The thought of being late to pick up my parents seemed so absolutely disrespectful, so thoroughly ungrateful, that it just ripped me up inside.

When I came to the passenger pick up section, Christian jumped out of the car and ran to find my parents. I saw him greet my mom and dad, take one of their bags, point them in my direction, and head back running. My mom's condition makes for slow walking progress, and Christian didn't want that to delay me my first hello. "I'll stay with the car -- run over right now and give them a hug!"

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The last couple of days have been blissfully relaxing. It's easier, in these conditions, to be more magnanimous. I'm not going to completely discount any good grades I may earn during this period, though. I have to believe that exercising this muscle under low stress and succeeding as well as under high stress and failing will eventually strengthen my ability overall...

Wish me luck!