It was a beautiful day outside today and even though I had every intention of being a complete hermit, thanks to my neighbor Gail and my BFF Stephanie, I was able to force my way out of the house and connect with several of my neighbors. It is days like this that make me realize how much I enjoy other people.
My adventure didn’t stop in the neighborhood. I decided to grab a late lunch at a local restaurant and I can tell you there is nothing like Southern Hospitality!! Being able to carry on a pleasant conversation with a complete stranger is a glorious thing. I am often amazed at how willing people are to share themselves with you if you just show some interest or give them an opening … sometimes all it takes is a friendly hello.
Friends, family, co-workers and associates have all watched in pure astonishment as I struck up a conversation with a stranger and talked to them as if we had known each other all our lives. It’s as if I have a welcome sign on my forehead. For you lovers of Krispy Kreme, just imagine the feeling you get when you see the “HOT” light on … LOL :-)
For a long time my introverted self was uncomfortable with this extremely extroverted behavior but what can you do? Being rude is not an option - that is not the "Southern" way.
Over the years I have come to appreciate my extroverted self and I must admit extroverts have a lot more fun!! So the moral of this post is … a turtle can’t stay scrunched up in its shell all the time and neither can you. Live a little … you might like it :-)
Lessons learned …
Do you remember how your Mom did her best to teach you that your thoughts need to go through a filtration system before they actually come out of your mouth? Children are notorious for just saying whatever comes to mind, out of the pureness of their hearts, without any consideration for how it will be interpreted. Well, I learned today that occasionally your “mind to mouth” filters need to be cleaned and enhanced or repaired.
I made a couple of statements today which, when they were in my head, seemed totally fine. By the time they exited my mouth, the response from those around me indicated that what I said was not fine. I sat there for a second or two and replayed what I said to myself. A couple of seconds later, it dawned on me that their response was to the actual words I used not the message I was trying to convey. You would think I would cut my losses at one "filter" malfunction, but NOOOOOOOOOOOO, I had to do it AGAIN!! After the second mishap, I decided to just sit there and smile and hope that whatever maintenance was being done on my "mind to mouth" filtration system would be completed before I was stoned or shunned by the group.
So the moral of this story is … clean and upgrade or repair your “mind to mouth” filters regularly. The version that was installed by your Mom when you were four is outdated and is probably clogged :o)
I made a couple of statements today which, when they were in my head, seemed totally fine. By the time they exited my mouth, the response from those around me indicated that what I said was not fine. I sat there for a second or two and replayed what I said to myself. A couple of seconds later, it dawned on me that their response was to the actual words I used not the message I was trying to convey. You would think I would cut my losses at one "filter" malfunction, but NOOOOOOOOOOOO, I had to do it AGAIN!! After the second mishap, I decided to just sit there and smile and hope that whatever maintenance was being done on my "mind to mouth" filtration system would be completed before I was stoned or shunned by the group.
So the moral of this story is … clean and upgrade or repair your “mind to mouth” filters regularly. The version that was installed by your Mom when you were four is outdated and is probably clogged :o)
Homage to Big Daddy ...
One of my dearest friends passed from this life last week and it has left a void in my heart. I saw him during Christmas break and it was as if time had stood still and nothing had changed about him or the emotion his presence invoked.
The passing of Adrian “Big Daddy” Johnson has reminded me of how truly precious life is and how we should cherish the ones we love and be thankful for every second we have with them. I wonder now if he really knew the deep love and respect I had for him as a man, a friend and surrogate brother.
The passing of Adrian “Big Daddy” Johnson has reminded me of how truly precious life is and how we should cherish the ones we love and be thankful for every second we have with them. I wonder now if he really knew the deep love and respect I had for him as a man, a friend and surrogate brother.
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