The title of this piece is taken from a song I fell in love with last summer by the great Michael Franks. The more I listened to it, the more I realized how right he was.It opens with "When you meet someone who inspires your worst angry voice, just retreat ~ happiness is always a much better choice.."
Michael goes on to soothingly sing about how "insisting on the last word is quite overrated" and when people are "contra-bliss" it's best to just see where it's going and leave the conversation. Or the room. Or maybe even the relationship.
I've known people who invariably "inspired my worst angry voice" and consistently made me so unhappy, I was upset for days, weeks, even months at a time. But because I had a (very Italian) deep sense of 'family,' I tolerated it decades longer than I should have, always waiting for that moment of 'famiglia' that would never arrive. That it took me 60+ years for that to sink in speaks volumes about the thickness of my head (phonetically speaking, CAPO TOZZO!!)
And, in a sweet twist of irony, one of those very contra-bliss people gave me the advice I am now utilizing to its fullest extent. She told me that "people HATE to be ignored, it makes them feel invisible and unimportant in your life."
Yes, I would imagine it does, doesn't it...?
So, y'all can have the last word, because being happy is so much nicer than being right!
And here is a link to Michael's beautiful music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6wUrLFOlAc
