A Head-Turner

In the middle of our community’s neatly manicured lawns sits one house with thigh-high grass. People driving by must wonder, “When are they going to mow?” Walking past the house is out of the question because who knows what kind of wildlife might attack. There’s always one lawn in a neighborhood that turns heads.

Overgrown lawns are like people, the outside suggests whether something significant is happening on the inside. If you see acquaintances acting a bit unusual, dig a little deeper. Watch how a neighborly visit might have prevented this situation:   

                                         https://youtu.be/gCKCHvgmnSs

Unfortunately, we either under or overreact to curious behaviors. In this case, a well-intentioned favor morphed into a police matter, which shows how easily our internal state bubbles up to the surface and spills into the public arena. What incredible experience has caused you to behave in a surprising way?  

A Chain Saw Reaction

Would you play an extra in a scary movie? Early one morning while driving through the city, I spotted a tall, muscular man walking down the street. Judging by his stride, he intended to arrive at work on time. Based on his tool belt and work boots, I assumed he worked in the construction industry. Here’s the interesting part: he carried a chain saw. It looked like the scene from a scary movie, but there were no movie cameras in sight.  

I didn’t call the police. Maybe the man borrowed the chain saw from work to repair a project at home. Maybe his job required him to bring in his own tools. He should have hidden that tool in a bag. You can be the best construction worker in the world, but when you walk down the street with a chainsaw, it’s not a good first impression. Check out these impressions:

                                          https://youtu.be/ad-Dm0Ac9rA

One expert said first impressions are formed in seven seconds. They say perception is reality, and once established, “reality” can be difficult to change. Is the first impression you give consistent with how you want people to see you?        

Which Way to Go?

Is it true that lessons we learn in our youth don’t always stick? For some reason, I keep going the wrong way when people give me directions. More than once someone said, “Turn right.” I turned left. On another occasion I heard, “Turn left.” I turned right. Hmmm. My teacher must have taught left vs. right in my kindergarten class, so I was half-amused, half-puzzled as to why I kept going the wrong way.

I came up with three possible explanations:

1. Heard, but never actually listened to the directions.
2. Thought I knew better.
3. Learned, but forgot left vs. right.

I choose a combination of answers one and two. So now I’ll focus on listening more and resist thinking I know it all. Lesson learned? We’ll see. Here’s a guy with another lesson to pass on:

                                         http://youtu.be/m2P2gMDojvo

That short clip was full of good advice. Take what you need from it. Thinking about your own  childhood experiences, what’s the best thing you learned that still helps you today?  

 

 

A Whistle, A Siren, And A Waltz?

I’m sitting on the couch anticipating the shriek. I barely get a warning. One minute I’m waiting, and the next minute a squeal pierces the silence. I leap up and grab the tea kettle from the stove, hoping to prevent the whistling from waking the rest of the family.

Have you ever noticed how easily situations can catch you off-guard? For instance, picture yourself driving through your community enjoying the serenity of a sunny day. Before you know it, a wailing police car’s siren warns you to move to the side of the road. If you’re fortunate, the car speeds by to deal with a crisis that doesn’t involve you. We expect some events, like weddings, to progress in predictable ways. We think we know what’s coming next, except in cases like this:

                                         http://youtu.be/qJ0ndF5G6iU

Ha! Bet you didn’t anticipate that kind of performance. Now that’s a wedding moment the guests will never forget. Even common events like whistling kettles, wailing sirens and a waltzing father and daughter can catch us off-guard.  Sometimes ordinary situations change and topple our natural expectations.  What has surprised you?          

Is Change A Comin'?

Are you looking for a change?  I think we're all looking for one, be it political, economic, or maybe just a small change in daily life.   

Nowadays, it seems everyone supports  a social cause or issue like protecting the environment or the unborn, eradicating hunger or homelessness, curing breast cancer or Multiple Sclerosis.  The realist in me knows we’ll never have a perfect world, but the idealist in me wonders why we can’t try to come close.

We’ll only make progress by tackling problems one step at a time.  So, let’s try a social experiment.  We can’t eliminate crime overnight, but how about if we pledge to drive at the speed limit—brace yourself—for three days.    Was that a groan?   The interesting thing is that someone is thinking, “No way!”  (Was that you ?) It’s as if we’re suggesting breaking the law rather than following it!  Let’s not forget to encourage the people on the phone who get distracted (it’s still legal here) and drive under the speed limit to participate, too. 

Just think, if we continued our little social experiment  for a whole year, instead of giving out speeding tickets, law enforcement might have to get some ideas from this prank:

So, remember: drive at the speed limit for three days and report back to us about your experience.  You can do it!!   Ready? Set? GO!!