Compromise

Work records were a mess today. I was scrambling back and forth remembering what I did, retrieving sheets covered with math, and furiously trying to get the dates straight. This was all done with the aid of an iPhone to connect my two very tense parents.

I finally got everything straight and Mom came by to pick up the records on her way to take Alena to school. Then, before she left, she noticed something.

"Rahel." She said, stopping in the doorway and looking the sheet over. "You didn't write the right date."

I froze. "What?" I said stiffly, willing the panic to not creep into my voice. It came anyway.

"Yeah," She continued. "You put down Thursday. 1/3/13 to 1/4/13. This is for two days."

"Yes," I said, more harshly then I had intended. "It's for two day's work. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?" The panic was definitely seeping in now. I had filled out 2 other sheets, each for a week of work, before she called up and said that she needed one that detailed only what I had done at my Dad's. I prayed that she didn't say that she needed the whole week but with different dates. Alena was probably already running late.

"No." She said. My heart took a plummet.

"I need this to be Monday through Friday." She continued.

I pushed myself up and moved over to survey the damage. "You want the whole week?" I asked fearfully. "Well, maybe we can use the one I already filled out??" I thought.

"No." She said. "I need what you did at your Dad's house this week."

It was then that I broke down. I didn't even have a good reason for it. I was just confused. Mom hugged me and I sternly told my body to stand up straight and stop being ridiculous. I only got a little "I can't." from it. Ordinarily, I'd just let my body do it's thing and sob out it's stress levels for a couple minuets. This was not an option, however. There were people right there and the work records had to be finished.

"Aww." I heard Dad say behind me. "Come here."

That snapped me out of it a bit. I straightened up and wiped my eyes a bit.

"No." I managed to say clearly.

"No?" He asked, slightly bemused.

"No, I don't like hugs." I said.

"Oh. Okay." He said in an amused sort of voice.

"Inner Spock." I thought. I regained control and was able to find out why the work record needed to be fixed. It turns out that it needs to be marked Monday to Friday, even if it's only for Thursday and Friday's work. Huzzah.

Anyway, I soon regained full composure and drank some coffee. Thank the goddess for Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek fanfiction. I warned my body and emotions against being irrational. Then I stopped. "Irrational?" I thought.
Huh.
What was the difference between rationality and logic??
I have decided that rationality is the act of applying logic and that logic itself is a system of thought. So really, we shouldn't say "Be logical" because that would imply that we are creatures capable of being entirely based upon logic. The command "Be rational," on the other hand, is quite different. It implies that we are creatures who are able to adhere to logic. This is a better statement for a being that is so versatile. It speaks of choice and willpower. Our ability to adapt.
It speaks of compromise.