Daily Picture Assignment #82 I stayed up late reading on Wednesday. Then, last night, I read while s

Daily Picture Assignment #82

I stayed up late reading on Wednesday. Then, last night, I read while sitting on the couch instead of doing it while exercising, like I should have. When I talked to Reaction Junkie last night, I admitted that I was on the couch instead of the elliptical, and told him about staying up until 1 the previous night. He was displeased. In fact, he was kind of angry.

He told me that as a punishment, I wasn’t allowed to read anymore until he got home, because I was misusing it to stay up late, saying that I was supposed to read for twenty minutes at most. I protested and said in a bratty tone, “I was listening to a podcast while sitting on the couch, too.” Reaction Junkie responded that I wouldn’t be allowed to listen to podcasts either.

I got annoyed and said that the reading was supposed to be to get me to read at least twenty minutes, not to limit me to only twenty minutes. Reaction Junkie started to reply, but I kept interrupting, trying to explain myself and convince him to at least let me listen to podcasts while driving and working. He said no, I had to be in silence and think about what I’d done.

I continued interrupting until he got angry with me. He told me that I’d had my chance to talk, and it was now time for me to listen. He said that I’d wanted him to be more strict, and this was him giving me what I wanted. I started to protest again, saying that I didn’t like it, and trying to explain what I thought was a misunderstanding he’d had about something I said. He replied that I said I didn’t like it, but I kind of did. In the moment, I disagreed. We kept talking for a little while and he said I could listen to podcasts while actively working. Not long after that, the call dropped.

That was an awful showing on my part. I should know better. I shouldn’t have stayed up late. I shouldn’t have sat on the couch to lounge when I should have been exercising. And I especially shouldn’t have talked back or interrupted him. Because of course he was right. Once I had a few minutes to cool down, I saw that he hadn’t really misunderstood me, and that the punishments were fitting. If I’d accepted what he was saying right off, I know that I could have made a request to be allowed to listen to podcasts while driving and at work, and he likely would have been agreeable.

I’ve submitted to Reaction Junkie and I’ve asked him to be more strict with me. If I’m going to ask that of him, which requires more work and effort for him, I need to live up to my side of the bargain. I need to do as I’m told. And if I don’t manage to do that, I need to graciously accept whatever kind of discipline he thinks is warranted. Reaction Junkie owns me, he has power over me, he knows what’s best. And I need to respect that.