Face Your Problems Squarely

Face Your Problems Squarely

 

I was declared missing once. For a couple of hours. I was probably about 6 years old. My mother had the neighborhood looking for me while I was sound asleep behind a door in the house. 

 

I don't like being yelled at. When I heard she was terribly upset that I hadn't carried out an assigned chore, I went and hid behind the open door of the bathroom. In hind-sight, a wrong decision.

 

I have no idea how long I stood behind that door. Dark came. I was tired. I slept off. And things went downhill from there.

 

My mother became worried when dark descended and I did not show up. She went through a gamut of emotions. From anger, self-recrimination, which piled on; anxiety and finally, an apology to me. I never heard any of it. I was spending an uncomfortable, unplanned night behind the door. 

 

I got plenty of people worried and they were all looking for me. My dad finally walked into the bathroom, saw the boy everyone was looking for sleeping behind the door. He was thoroughly relieved. He woke me up and I had no immediate recollection what the fuss was about. My dad took me to bed. He also took back the missing person complaint he had filed at the police station. 

 

The next day, I was embarrassed when neighbors and friends kept asking where I went. Took a while to make things right. It's best to face your problems squarely and find solutions rather than hiding behind excuses or an open door.