Trial by Existence - Wrinkled Brows

{Note:  The general posting schedule for my blog is as follows-

Mondays - Wrinkled Brows -  essay on quotes or word definitions
Tues/Wed - In Other Words - a Christian blog group
Thurs/Fri - Travel with the Youngs, or a series on corporate life entitled A Country Christian in Corporate America
Sat/Sun - anything or nothing at all . }

Wrinkled Brows:  a Monday series on word definitions or a quote of the week.

And from a cliff-top is proclaimed
   The gathering of the souls for birth,
The trial by existence named,
   The obscuration upon earth.
                           ~ Robert Frost from The Trial By Existence

Isn't that the truth?  Sometimes life does just feel like it is "trial by existence." 

Almost every experience feels like some kind of "test" and you simply are not convinced you are putting up a passing grade.

There is an old Mosie Lister (famous gospel songwriter of the 1950s and 60s) that says:

Many times I'm tried and tested, as I labor day by day.
Oft I meet with pain and sorrow and there's trouble in my way.

Yep.  Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.  And during such times every little thing irritates you. And every other thing just gets on your very last nerve.

I am reminded of a story about a perpetually irritated fellow who died.  Some witty family member had his headstone engraved with the following epitaph:
                                    Here lies John. 
                                  Irritated to death.
We have all known those Type A personalities - always speeding up to the the next red light, fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel while they wait for it to turn green.

Scarfing down their meals without ever really tasting anything, much less taking a moment to appreciate all the work that went into preparing the meal in the first place.

Whizzing through life at the speed of aggravation, while managing to pretty much aggravate the life out of anyone else who happened to be within shouting distance.

What say we all make it our collective determination today, that we NOT make ourselves anyone else's "trial by existence"?

A worthy goal, me thinks.  :)
Have a peaceful, easy day ...Marsha