If you're new around these parts, I just want to say how much I appreciate your dropping by! Oh, and you may want to subscribe to my feed. Thanks, and a tip o' the hat to ya!

Further thoughts about yesterday’s pithy subject…

First of all, I can’t help but remember a line from a 1983 Bill Cosby concert, “Himself”, while expounding on the irrationality of drug use:

I said to a guy, “Tell me, what is it about cocaine that makes it so wonderful,” and he said, “Because it intensifies your personality.” I said, “Yes, but what if you’re an asshole?”

Since by general concensus the “unintentional” type is worth our forgiveness, patience, and understanding, then it follows that we should make the effort to determine the difference prior to simply reacting. Let me illustrate with something that recently happened to Mrs. MZM.

While at the local grocery deli counter, she encountered a clerk whose actions were, shall we say, “less than stellar” (we’re talking ‘WAY less). Mrs. MZM could have immediately responded accordingly, but instead, God bless her, she asked the man in a kind voice, “Are you having a bad day?”

The man looked abashed, and replied, “Yes, I am. Things are not going well for me right now.”

Mrs. MZM was then able share a few kind words with him and immediately he perked up and began to help her with a completely different attitude. A few well-chosen words made all the difference! This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened, and each time, she purposely chose NOT to simply react. Each time, she was rewarded.

So the “action item” is this: Before making an assumption about which category a person falls into, at least try to find out if there’s something else going on. Perhaps, just perhaps, you’ve encountered an “unintentional”. Instead of reacting to them, a few well-chosen words may just help them snap out of it.

Just that easy, and you’ve made the world a better place!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!