After a three year pause, We are back together again.
Covid, the economy, health issues, nut bags running around with their current conspiracy claims pasted to their vehicles or tattooed on their bodies, politicians and/or world leaders jumping on the crazy train are now an everyday part of our life in this world that has gone mad. I encourage you to join me in refusing to allow “life” to get in the way.
Here’s a thought, with all the protests going on in the world, why not just allow our natural human tendencies towards kindness, love, empathy shine through. Example: Observe a group of little children (2-5 years old) at a park at the playground area, (Warning, do not do so wearing an old overcoat, hat, sunglasses while holding a digital camera from behind a tree.) watch how they interact with each other regardless of race, color, nationality, beliefs of the other child. The hatred and prejudice we see in the world we live in has not yet been injected into them by their parents, digital devices, news media, government thoughts or political propaganda or the education system. They are still somewhat innocent.
My link to sanity in this world is simple. Focus on the positive, just like a child. I am not recommending that we all run around like psycos, screaming, laughing and playing non stop as kids do. (For Example – Congress, the Senate, the NY Stock exchange, Black Friday events, that regrettable alchohol infused office party we vaugely remember.) No, my suggestion is to adopt children’s positive outlooks. Do not impune badness on others we do not know or understand. Try to look for the good in others, even though they may often make it difficult.
The Smile Challenge
I challenge you to try this in your life today. Smile at everyone you pass by. Before you head out, stand in front of a mirror and smile at yourself first. That way you can check your smile out for your safety. If your smile is more like a leer, you might want to adjust that to save being accosted from the anti-leer crowd, which is most of mankind. Don’t force the smile, you will look like a constipated wienerdog. Make it as natural as you can. Think of a pleasant thought or experience you enjoyed recently.
Make eye contact. DO NOT stare at the other person in a “I’m stealing your soul” look. Just a brief glance with a smile. If a brief greeting is common in your area, do so. (Attention New Yorkers! you are exempt from this experiment as any of the above can result in a negative experience.)
The purpose of this exercise is to promote a lost behavior that was common not long ago called talking. Talking has been replaced in most of modern society with scrolling, watching, viewing, ignoring, eye rolling, frowning and the ever present catatonic stare. Almost sounds like the definition of a teenager but, unfortunatly, it has affected today’s society.
How to Talk
Talking is like a game of catch. You toss the ball with a brief “Hello”. If the other person says “Hello” back, they have tossed the ball back to you. The game is now initiated! Now, it is a matter of reading body language. If the reply is without eye contact and there is no pause in thier walking, then they have just tossed the ball back to you and indicted they are not in the mood for a game of catch. You, however, were successful! You got the ball back! Try it again with the next encounter. A note of caution here; some in our world are not well and react badly to any interaction. This will be demonstrated by the way they return the ball back to you. Sometimes it might be returned as a fast ball to the tenders while defaming you, your family tree, your parentage, your cat and even your cow. If this happens, do not let it impede you. Just distance yourself from the loony.
Ok, the ball has been nicely tossed back and the other person has paused. That means it’s your turn to toss the ball back. Be positive, comment pleasently on the weather, commend them on their friendlyness, look for something good to say. Always reply with a smile and good eye contact. My daughter had an interesting experience in downtown Sacramento recently. She met a very hairy fellow wearing a spagetti strap dress. I am sure she commended the individual on how the strapps accented the natural part in thier back hair. Did I mention the importance of controlling one’s facial expressions?
Now What?
Now, it is up to you. If you feel awkward, don’t worry, you probably are but then again the person you are now talking to is feeling the same. The art of conversation is dying, let’s do our best to bring it back. This takes patience and practice. Remember the Dr. Seuss story about green eggs and ham? Try it, try it Sam I Am! You too may one day like green eggs and ham!
I would like to thank you all for your patience, kindness, constructive criticism, in our little time together. I hope to be back regularly with more stories, observations and random thoughts. To those kind souls who have bought me a coffee, thank you. It makes me smile.