Grenelda Thurman Lessons

Have you ever done something that you thought was really stupid and then beat yourself up for it? It wasn’t what you had intended at all. That is often a sign that Grenelda or Herman Thurman have stepped into your life. If you were paying attention you never would have done that monumentally ridiculous thing. The Thurmans are a lighthearted way to look at moments that are fraught with the possibility of self-judgment.

The Thurmans are the ones who burn the steaks on the grill, wear two different shoes to the store, drive the car into the garage with the bike still on top, put cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon into your oatmeal, put the battery in backwards and wonder why your tracker isn’t working, and on and on. Those are all little examples of Grenelda and Herman moments. The problem comes when you stack Grenelda moments one on top of the other. Then there can be trouble all around.

Here’s my latest Grenelda moment. I was making a mocha and dumped the coffee beans into my mug rather than the grinder. It wouldn’t have been a problem except that I had already put cacao into my mug. Soooo, I spooned the cacao-coated beans out of my mug and into the grinder. I figured it shouldn’t be much of a problem since it was going to get pulverized anyway. Who knew that cacao is so fine that it clogs a coffee filter? It took forever for the coffee to drip into my mug.

The point is that I wasn’t paying attention. Grenelda saw her opportunity and jumped in to create a little chaos. In the past I would have spent untold time beating myself up for not paying attention with all of the concomitant mind-chatter. This time I immediately recognized Grenelda’s hand in my coffee bean adventure and went on. Besides, I realized right away I had found the topic for this blog!

Not more than 15 minutes prior to this, I was thinking Grenelda hadn’t been active lately. What I find so fascinating is how quickly the Universe steps in and says, “Oh, you haven’t had a Grenelda moment for a while. Here you go!” It was a reminder that I was getting all lost in my thoughts, trying to figure things out. It was time for me to pause and regroup.

The lesson is to pay attention when you start chastising yourself for a mistake. That’s time to pause and discern if it was Grenelda or you who made the mistake. No, it’s not a way to shirk your responsibilities. It’s a way to recognize that you are not paying attention. You receive the notice, laugh at yourself because you’ve let Grenelda make a decision, and then get grounded. When was your last Grenelda moment?

One of the reasons I love Grenelda is that she is a way for me to laugh at myself rather than beat myself up for making a mistake. She is like a funny flag waving at me saying, “Hello, time to get back in your body and pay attention.” How could your life be easier if you noticed your Grenelda experiences? What would change for you? What if you use your Grenelda moments to discern what’s really going on for you? Please share your stories below. I love hearing about Grenelda and Herman Thurman. They are quite the characters.