Mr Grumpy

Enjoying my breakfast in a Devon hotel recently I was distracted by the notice on the door opposite which read “GUEST’S ONLY”. The décor was pre-smoking-ban nicotine-colour so it had been there for some years. If this is what irritates you, too, then you may join me in being an out-and-proud Mr Grumpy. You will recognise it’s not just about abuse of the apostrophe. Anyone can make a mistake, after all. It’s the inevitability of an imperfect world where small things are not put right.

My friend Roger once told me his wife had threatened to record him chuntering and I had to laugh as my wife says to me ‘If only you could hear yourself’. Roger is a fellow-grumpy, of course, but we both understand it has an impact on our loved ones. There is no point in being grumpy on your own: it has to have an audience. It has an important social purpose, but the point of grumpiness is not to pass it on to others.

A good old moan is a coping technique and is usually about something over which you have no control. Getting it off your chest just makes you feel better. And that’s the paradox: having a grump is live enhancing. It’s enjoyable and fun! File under ‘sense of humour’. The pressure-valve is released and you move on. In grumpiness rests our well-being.

“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.

“So it is.”

“And freezing.”

“Is it?”

“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”

With one group of colleagues it’s not Mr Grumpy. They call the down-beat comment as Eeyore speaking. It’s about high expectations and having them dashed. You can avoid disappointment by planning for the worse outcomes and being quietly relieved when they don’t happen. I have enjoyed having ‘Tiggers’ in the work-team as they can be very productive and keep everyone on their toes. However, an Eeyore is a Tigger with a life full of experience. To me, it’s not being a miserable-old-git, it shows I’m thinking and I care.

It’s partly a matter of passion and enthusiasm – the energy to face the trials of living. It’s being ready for anything and being committed to not taking yourself too seriously. (see Crossing the Thin Line). Humour can be deflating of the ridiculous but it can uplift the spirits, too. Like laughter, having a grump is good medicine. It is said that you see a glass as either half-full or half-empty. The truth is, they complement each other.

And another thing…

…until recently a shop-sign in Ashford “Ladie’s Hairdressing.”

Angus Willson

Angus is a community geographer and blogs at www.pannage.blogspot.com. He bears no resemblance to any Winnie the Pooh characters.