Something ain’t Smellin’ Right

 "I heard my mom asking our neighbor for some salt. 

We had salt at home, so I asked her why she was asking.

She told me, "They don't have much money and they sometimes ask us for things. I asked for something small that wouldn't burden them. I want them to feel as if we need them too. That way, it will be much easier for them to ask us for anything they need."

Author Unknown: Quoted From James Clear (Atomic Habits) 3-2-1 

This story has been percolating for a while. It bubbles up every so often because it’s confusing to me. At first blush, I was impressed by this idea. To kindly inform someone that we are available to help seems admirable. It appears that we are moving in the right direction. 

“But something ain’t smellin’ right.”

Weird Ones: Shampoo Code and Politics

Weirdness. Let’s not worry about how this happens or where it originates. I promise it will be easier for all of us.

We’ve all heard those three simple commands—the mantra of our daily shower rituals. The shampoo bottles stand at attention, waiting for their turn in the spotlight. It’s a choreographed dance: squirt, lather, rinse, repeat. But today, something shifted. This morning, an error set my eye ablaze.

A drop of shampoo found its way into my peeper, and suddenly, my ocular world was chaotic. As I blinked (and cursed), I wondered about the purpose of eyelids. Those unassuming flaps of skin—usually taken for granted—had failed me. My shut-them-tight-when-shampooing automation misfired. "Must be a bug in the software", I thought

The First Lesson

 

For nearly 70 years, I never heard her say, "You darn well BETTER love me! 

All I do for you? You BETTER!"

Writing. Past, Present, and Future

I remember the impatient anticipation as we approached high school's end of year. 

I remember group study and late nights before finals because, speaking honestly, I spent a lot of time with procrastinators of the first degree. 

I remember a take-home physics test. Six of us were in the basement exploring the hours of darkness working on pieces of this final exam. I remember the scratching of pencil on paper until someone shouted, “I’ve got one!”. We’d all stop what we were working on and wait for the instructions. “Problem 15-B. This is the answer.” Diligently, we’d add the given answer to our test page. 

I still wonder if that was cheating. But it was a take-home test for kids in high school. I can’t imagine that group efforts were unexpected.