Stepping Into It

These days no one behaves in ways you expect. My cat acts like a canine that almost plays Fetch. Whenever we throw a toy, she sprints across the floor like a dog, but there’s where the similarity ends. Instead of retrieving the toy, she walks away from it, faking us out. When her feline attitude kicks in, it’s clear she only acts like a dog, but  thinks like a cat. Similar to the movie, “Freaky Friday” where the mother and daughter swap places, switching is happening all around us. In addition to cats acting like dogs, there are kids acting like adults and adults…well you get the idea. Check out this switch: 

                                         https://youtu.be/MovG8WvYonY

People will push boundaries to figure out if animals can communicate with us. One lady spent years training a gorilla to understand sign language. Switching positions usually helps us understand someone else’s point of view, so think about your toughest critic. If you stepped into their shoes and saw their perspective, what things would you better understand about you?

Looming Tower of Rights

The moment you think everybody’s on the same page about a subject—bam—someone pops up with a totally different viewpoint that would have never crossed your mind. For instance, thousands of students across the country walked out of school protesting gun laws and a school shooting, but not every student walked out.

Some students held indoor vigils, and in one school, students traveled the hallways, posting encouraging notes on one another’s lockers. It sounded like a creative twist on an unfortunate incident. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed with that decision. They thought the idea oversimplified the issue and placed responsibility on the students to modify questionable behaviors in schools.

We’re great at arguing about issues and picking apart other people’s opinions. Sort of like what I’m doing and what you’ll see here:

                                         https://youtu.be/654YMP971ao  

Granted, some arguments are simply dumb, and it’s fine to disagree with an opposing viewpoint. How about if we do it by reinforcing our key points instead of taking a bat to someone else’s position? Maybe one day we’ll all share the same perspective on an issue. Which one do you wish everyone believed in and supported?    

Getting Salty

Last week, I couldn’t believe the amount of salt someone had deposited on a sidewalk. It looked like they wanted to skip salting the next storm and all the ones to follow. How much is too much? Granted, salt melts ice on slippery sidewalks, but you don’t need a cupful dumped in one spot to do the job. That’s called overkill. Too much salt can be bad for the body and it kills your concrete by pitting it with divots and pockets.

On the other hand, thousands of years ago salt offered tremendous benefits by preserving foods, and then there’s this phenomena: 

                                         https://youtu.be/kY41fenRU9A

Depending on the circumstances, too much of a good thing can be detrimental. Where can you exercise greater balance and better judgement? 

In the Headlights

How often do we ask ourselves that age-old question: How common is common sense? I believe that it’s not as common as you might think. Granted, a driver’s level of patience is tested when another driver is in the left lane and going the speed limit. But when a turning lane lies ahead speedy drivers should exercise patience.

I’m still trying to understand why, while driving in the left lane, I saw the windshield of the car behind me, but no headlights. I bet you’re wondering what happened to the headlights. Oh, the car had headlights, but the driver tailgated so close that I couldn’t see them. Talk about a lack of common sense. Who drives like that? It’s probably the same type of person who does this:

                                         https://youtu.be/ZN1jUXMHo5U

In most cases, tailgaters don’t drive like maniacs because they’re heading to the emergency room. The top two tailgating excuses are probably, “I was going out for coffee” and “I don’t know.” It’s helpful, but not pleasant, for someone to tell us we’re not being sensible. It’s better when we discover it in ourselves. What situations have you discovered in yourself?