Remember my entry about the ice skating rink manager who didn't post her rules up or orate them cordially but instead waited until people broke them to crack her whip?

That's what the ego does. That's what everyone does. We have unspoken "rules" in our heads and we freak out when others break them.

(Now, boundaries are something else. Boundaries are of the spirit. Anything falling out of bounds of the spirit clicks the head on just enough to tell the person no thanks, not partaking in any of that business today.)

Ego limitations we impose on ourselves to tell us who we think we are. I stand for this, I oppose that, how dare she!, etc.

I write about this because I gave my peace away when, this morning, my husband thought the weather was bad enough to deem me responsible for heading out into it to prepare his car for his travel to work. (Sense the sarcasm in me?)

It became a battle of egos. In front of children. His thinking was that I should have thought of him, which I did but cannot physically display across my head in red or anything. (Stop it, babs!) My thinking was that he's ignoring what I do do, such as taking out the trash today, and forcing me to turn the other cheek and surrender to his whining impossible request to read his mind. (My thinking is much more complex and intelligent than his, no?)

What I could have done but have no regrets not doing--the experience offered the opportunity to write this lovely entry--was feel compassionate and say I was sorry I hadn't helped. (The snow ice, and doozy of removal was enough of a battle on the ego.)

I sent him a nice email that mentioned something about me being sorry and a cherry-flavored X-rated good time later.

*And another lesson is just how important it is for parents to write the house rules for kids instead of pulling them out of hats, toy boxes, messy under-the-beds, etc. No one says you can't stand atop a mountain and proclaim them or anything. Go ahead, whatever your style is, do it :) I'll add a fine-tip Sharpie and posterboard to the shopping list.*

See what I gained from being brought to tears by that ice-cold ice rink manager? I'm a winner!