Into the Fire

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Five of my less than sterling qualities . . . 

I'm a "sore loser". Terrible, angry, pouty loser in games and/or watching my team(s) lose. Not happy. Ever since I was a child getting beat at Monopoly and running to my room crying . . . Yeah, that kind of loser.

I'm jealous. If you are a female, do NOT speak to my husband if you don't intend to speak to me also or at least acknowledge me. I've also been that way since my first boyfriend.

I can be selfish.

I get impatient.

I detest bad driving. 

 

Father, you know me and love me anyway. Please forgive me when I'm obnoxious and unreasonable. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

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9 responses to “Friday Five”

  1. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    Did you make up your own rules for board games? LOL! 😎
    You made me smile as I was reading “jealous”, thinking that you should listen to Loretta Lynn. I’ve always loved her no nonsense music & thought of the song “You ain’t woman enough to take my man”. Though I don’t know if I’d call it jealousy. More like watching out for your interests.
    1. Impatience: This is actually a relatively new one. I used to be quite a patient person. I never put stock in it when people said you got more impatient as you got older, but now I’m a believer. 😎
    2. My way or the highway
    3. Can be selfish (but then who doesn’t suffer from this one?)
    4. I DESPISE it when people waste my time.
    5. You mentioned bad driving. I really detest people who can’t park straight in their SINGLE car space. Don’t even get me started on the obnoxious people who take up 2 spaces….

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  2. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar

    I appreciate you being candid, Brenda. I didn’t think I’d get any responses to this one. Yes, I think we’re all selfish, but I hate it when I notice that’s exactly what I’m being. 😦 I like that: “watching out for your interests” – darn right.
    Hahaha – parking. My husband used to purposely take up 2 spaces when he bought his hotrod pickup, but it was always far out in the lot so he didn’t think twice about it. It was all about protection for his special truck.
    Thank you, Brenda!

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  3. BK Jackson Avatar
    BK Jackson

    Yes, my sister has done the same thing w/hogging 2 spaces for her precious but I don’t give her any slack either. LOL!

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  4. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar

    I think people appreciate the opportunity to be honest, Nicole. We’re thankful you limit it to five. 🙂
    1) I’m a control freak. I hate not being in control and have to really clamp my mouth shut in situations where it’s not my job to control. I’m much better than I was growing up, but it’s still a constant struggle.
    2) I’m an emotional eater, using food to pacify whatever emotion I’m feeling, from peaceful to angry. This is definitely a heart issue, using food to fill that space only God can.
    3) I rarely cry. That’s mostly attributed to being a deep feeler, not wearing emotions on my sleeve, but some of it is pride. Those rare times I do feel like crying, I hold back because that’s a sign of weakness to me. Even worse, when other people are crying during movies, that makes me laugh. Can’t help it, and it drives me emotional daughter crazy. 🙂
    4) I’m a loner. I’ve never been a people person, and function better when alone. It’s a struggle being with people. You always hear the mantra, “Be yourself.” But “myself” is a quiet listener who will go unnoticed in a crowd. One son was diagnosed with high-functioning Alzheimer’s, and I’m sure if Alz had been around when I was young, I would have been diagnosed.
    All that makes it rather ironic that I write character-driven novels, but then maybe all my quiet listening has turned me into an observer of people…
    5) I don’t read the Bible nearly enough and I’m a very bad memorizer.
    Whew! That was a gut-check, Nicole! Looking back, all my poor qualities are really heart issues. I’m glad God loves us in our broken, messy lives!

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  5. Debra Avatar
    Debra

    Well, I think not wanting women to speak to your husband while disregarding you is completely valid.
    Here are just 5 that I am not proud of.
    Impatience – especially on the road, and sometimes it’s not even justified
    I don’t like doing things that are difficult. I think my life in a fallen world should be easy.
    Too quick to rush to judgment/impatient with the less than sterling qualities of others.
    My natural reaction is to panic.
    Selfishness – every way

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  6. Brenda Avatar
    Brenda

    Brenda, as a person who adores every second I can spend alone (and there aren’t anywhere near enough of them) I can tell you it is NOT something that qualifies as a negative quality (although I think the world tries to guilt us into that). Yes of course, loners still need to have healthy connections to the outside world, but for me, alone time is when I can think and plan and do stuff.

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  7. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar

    Wanting alone time is not a negative quality. Few people don’t need it and those who don’t want it are usually very “needy” people who cling to others for those needs to be filled. I’m blessed to have that alone time, and I appreciate it to the max. I can become a bit of a hermit at times, but, honestly, it beats the alternative of being ground into dust by a busy, unyielding schedule. Oddly in contrast to that, I’m a people person but prefer one on one or two or three of my closest friends together at a time.
    “I don’t like doing things that are difficult. I think my life in a fallen world should be easy.” I can so relate to this, Deb. Crazy, isn’t it? To think that we should have it “easy” when Christians are being martyred every day on the other side of the world. But I’m guilty as charged of this.
    I can panic too, much to my intense dislike.
    Bren, I know you’ve talked about you rarely crying as opposed to my sappy and frequent tears. It’s interesting you attribute some of it to pride/strength. I would say that some of it is due to wanting to be strong for yourself and others. Oftentimes it’s learned from an admired/respected family member growing up. My mother was emotional but incredibly strong and rarely cried. My father was also very strong so I regret making him cry once or twice with my emotional outbursts as a teenager. We are who we are, and I can testify I am glad for my deep emotions at the root of my tears, but I also understand there are just as deep emotions beneath that tough exterior that is able to hold back tears and/or keep those emotions under control. Either way can be a ploy and a negative quality if used for any wrong purpose. And sometimes it’s a result of that “control freak” tendency. (Your novels display your ability to grasp emotions and emotional responses.)
    It’s all a gut-check for sure. And usually no fun although it’s somehow comforting to know others suffer from the same weaknesses and feel just as awful or embarrassed about them as we do.
    Thank you, Ladies, for sharing your hearts here. Not easy to do . . .

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  8. Brenda S. Anderson Avatar

    Oh my goodness, I have to add a #6! I desperately need a proofreader! I reread my post tonight & realized I wrote Alzheimer’s instead of Aspbergers! Big difference! 😀

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  9. Nicole Petrino-Salter Avatar

    Hahaha! Yes, big difference. Don’t we all need a proofreader at times!

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