Today's blog post is being brought to you directly from the Apple Store on 14th Street in Manhattan, a place I have become sadly familiar with in the last two days. I have been furious, exhausted, and then annoyed again, all because I forgot one crucial lesson:

When I put my faith in an electronic object that "should" work, I'm bound to be aggravated and miserable.

Every now and then I am humbled and reminded by how destructive and frustrating my "shoulds" can be. Because the fact that I've been dealing with two dysfunctional iPods in the last two days is not the problem. The fact that I still have "shoulds" about iPods are what have been causing annoyance.


Life is full of mechanical gadgets that fail—this is not a choice. My suffering and stress about the failing of my mechanical gadgets is a choice. It may take a few days, but I'm working on making a different choice. How about you?