I witnessed this a while back, but it came back to me today.
People, unless you are an actual child, if a woman of any age asks you for something, never say, “You’re just like my mom!”, particularly if you are younger than said woman, because if you do say it . . .
Run, baby. Just run!
The other day I did something I almost never do anymore, namely, pass on a warning to someone I thought needed to hear one. The result? I was politely thanked for my concern (which is a tad unusual, I’ll admit . . . the thanks and the concern, come to think) and profoundly ignored (which is the norm).
This is known as the Cassandra effect.
This used to frustrate me to no end, but these days I can see the morbidly funny side of it, because there was a time I probably would have ignored it too had I been in their place.
While my son and I were playing with our dog this morning, she started to get rambunctious, so we ended up singing, “Crazy eyes, crazy eyes! It should come as no surprise, that you are feeling wild, ’cause we see your crazy eyes!” (I have just come to accept that this is “normal” in this house.)
It was only later that it occurred to me that if someone had taught me to look for crazy eyes when I was my son’s age, my life would have turned out very differently . . .
As I sip my tea this morning, I’m doing so from a mug someone got me a few years back. This mug has a list of “tips for good health” on the side, and at the top of the list it says “Less Alcohol, More Tea.”
It turns out that’s really good advice.
Beware the times when the world isn’t actually __________, and you’re only seeing it that way because you are!
Today’s Tip From My Son:
If you have a dog in your house, never step on anything brown without turning on the light first so you can see what it is.
As a rule I’m not a big fan of motivational speakers, but I am a big fan of accepting wisdom where I find it, so the idea behind W.A.I.T. (Why Am I Talking?) really appeals to me.
However you chose to observe/celebrate this time of year, my advice is whatever you do, unless it’s your deliberate intent, don’t make it weird.
But I will say this, if you want to be a good person, not making things worse in the wake of a tragedy is a good skill to cultivate, and cutting back on the insults is as good a place as any to start with that.
