Story Library

Staying Cool

Say it’s summertime. You have the choice of being outside in the sun, hot and heavy, or inside in the cool comfort of an air conditioned domicile.

Which would you choose?

I remember a time, not long ago, when that choice did not exist. It would be as hot in the house as it was outside. My grandmother had her summer routine down pat. When to open the door and windows. When to pull the shades and drapes. When to turn on the big fan that did little more than moving around the hot air. When to hurry and get the day’s work done while the heat was still bearable. When to sit as still as possible with a big cloth for wiping the sweat.

City kids remember how they’d open the fire hydrant and everyone would get wet to cool down. In recent power outages, we’ve been reminded of how that felt.

Young folks may never before have had to go days in intense heat with no cooling. How did you and your family handle it? Did you cry and whine, cursing the power company to hurry up and get us back to normal? Did you give prayers of thanks for all the days when we do not have to go without the cooling comfort of our conditioned air? Did you just ride around in your air conditioned vehicle until it was all over?

Air conditioning in hot weather. Yet another thing for which to give thanks here in America.

[Show #431]

Benefits of Age

I was thinking about the benefits of growing old. There’s wisdom and experience, and being able to take it easy. But there are also benefits you might not think of right off hand.

Take kidnapping for instance. Well, kidnappers don’t seem to be very interested in old people. That’s a plus. And if you ever get in a hostage situation, chances are you’ll be released first.

When you get old, no one expects you to run; anywhere. Of course, older person’s stereotypes can be annoying too. People call at 9:00 pm or 9:00 am and ask, “Did I wake you?” Come on…

On the other hand, there’s nothing left to learn the hard way. You can eat supper at 4:00 pm if you want. And pay less too! You can live without sex, but not without your glasses.

You get into heated arguments about pension plans. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

Your investment in your health insurance is finally paying off. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the National Weather Service. And your secrets are safe with your friends, because they can’t remember them either.

And that’s the way it goes…

[Show #459]

When Something Goes Wrong: How Do You Handle Mistakes?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind, when something goes wrong . . . when mistakes have been made? In leadership training, I was taught to look inward first. Others argue with me on that, but I find it to be pretty accurate.

Rather than immediately seeking a target for finger-pointing, I will check what part I played. Were my instructions detailed enough? Did I allow enough time? Did I inform everyone who needed to know?

Even if the error itself was that of someone else, I want to check how I could help prevent it, next time around. I can’t control what others will do. But I can always control what I do. When I meet with others to discuss the error, I admit what I would have done differently and ask what they would have changed.

The result is so much more fruitful than make accusations and putting everyone on the defensive. It’s a technique I believe in and have taught. It especially holds well if you are practicing servant leadership.

How do YOU react when things go wrong…when you make mistakes? Think about what you do . . . what you say . . . and how It affects those around you. Does it help prevent future errors?

If your technique has worked, keep it – And let me know what it is. If not, give it some new thought.

Show #421

What You Say Matters

My guy and I were just reminiscing about childhood. We were sharing incidents we still remember, half a century later. Why do certain things stick out so?

He recalled a 7^th grade teacher who showed him how to study and the benefits of learning. OK. That was a game changer.

But we also each recalled tiny incidents that should have been long forgotten, but were not.

My mom was rushed to finish a frock she was sewing for me. I was 8 years old. She put the dress on me to sew the final stitches, decided she didn’t have time and said she was going to hold the last stitch together with a safety pin. In her hurry, she stuck the pin right into me. It hurt – but not THAT much. Why do I still remember that silly incident?

I’ve mentioned before – the green imitation leather shoulder bag given to me by my aunt. It was an absolute treasure because it was woman size, when I had to grow quite a bit to get to that stage. I identified her as the first person in the world who realized that I was growing up and no longer a kid – even if the shoulder bag did hang down to my knees when I wore it.

Realize that YOU are making impressions like that on the young people in your life. You are saying things, and sharing experiences that people will remember a half century later. Yes, what you say matters. Be sure that what they remember is something good – or at least something funny.

[Show #497]

Autism

I’ve been reading up on autism lately; a subject that is of more interest today than ever before. Too many kids are autistic and we don’t know why.

Parents are frightened by the possibility that it’s from vaccinations. One father has one child who is autistic and two who have not yet been vaccinated. He wondered, “Will I wind up with three of them like this?”

Children with high-functioning autism look like any other children their age. They learn, they are often very bright. Yet their behavioral responses may be bizarre.

They lack social interaction skills that come naturally to most of us. Other kids won’t play with them. They have no friends. They are constantly being punishing for their disruptive behavior.

Yet we are finding that actually their brains are wired differently. Social interactions that are natural to most, are foreign to them. One mom of an Asperger child cautioned that her son is not less; he is different.

He does not comprehend that other people have other thoughts. He thinks that everyone’s thoughts are the same as his. So his interaction is totally self-centered. He seems rude. Actually, it’s how his brain is wired.

Parents have to unlearn parenting skills and start all over on a whole new page.

So much for us all to learn to treat or prevent autism.

[#433]

Still Asking Questions

As a child, it seems I always had questions about the way things are and why we do what we do. So much of it didn’t seem to make sense.

Now that I am grown up, more or less, it seems I still have questions. For instance, why do you have to ‘put your two cents in’ but it’s only a ‘penny for your thoughts’? Why aren’t thoughts worth two cents too?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box? Why is it desirable to “sleep like a baby” when babies wake up like every two hours?

And speaking of babies, tell me this – If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

Then I wonder why it took us so long to figure certain things out.

Do you realize, we put a man on the moon before we figured out that it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage? Yes, youngsters, we dragged heavy suitcases around for years Instead of having them wheel themselves.

Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV? Why do people believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check it out when you say the paint is wet?

When I’d get impatient with life, as a child, Mama used to say I’d have to wait and some day, all the secrets of the world would be known to me.

Mama, I’m still waiting . . .

[Show #442]

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