Category: Inspiration

“I’m a good driver, but I pulled out right in front of this guy, who of course leaned on his horn… hard.

Then, as luck would have it, we pulled into the SAME store parking lot. Yay! I knew it was coming.

He arranged it so he would be standing in front of his vehicle as I rolled by slowly, looking for a spot to park. There he was, middle finger in the air (big surprise) shoving it aggressively toward me while yelling.

I braked, threw it into reverse, came up beside him, rolled down my window, and…..just listened. I let him rant.

‘LEARN HOW TO %#%€ing DRIVE FOR #%#!SAKE!!’ That was probably the nicest thing he said in all of it.

When he was done, I said in an even tone that I have perfected for escalations at home: ‘You have a right to be pissed. I cut you off, and I’m really sorry. I’m usually a pretty good driver, but that was a really stupid mistake and I’m sorry I put us both in danger.’

He sort of stuttered, still mad, but visibly trying to process what Id just said. Then I said, ‘Thank you for being on the ball, and saving us BOTH today with your quick reflexes.’

He literally mumbled, ‘Geez…just be careful…’ He had his head down and was still adjusting to someone being kind to him, someone who he had just called every name in the book and f-bombed about 500 times in public… loudly.

It did shake me up, but not the way it did him.

I’ve found that I’m so much more prepared for the unexpected than the average person. I’ve also learned, through my son, that everything is a teachable moment, that one should always act with grace and good intention, and that whenever possible, give someone a chance to show their best side.

And that’s what he did.

I was pushing my cart around the store, and all of a sudden there was a tap on my shoulder. It’s the angry dude. Only he isn’t angry, he’s humble.

‘You said sorry to me, but I’m the one who owes you an apology. I had a really bad morning, some bad news at work. Thank you for reminding me that everyone makes mistakes, including me. I acted really sh*tty calling you names and stuff. I’m really sorry for that.’

‘Thank you,’ I said and smiled. Then he smiled, too. We told each other to have a nice day and I think we both did just that. We BOTH stepped out of our comfort zone to thank someone else for their actions. And it felt good.”

Author: Connie Manning

Love What Matters

“On every question of construction, carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1823

You cannot get educated by this self-propagating system in which people study to pass exams, and teach others to pass exams, but nobody knows anything.

You learn something by doing it yourself, by asking questions, by thinking, and by experimenting.

(Tom: This matches my experiences in life. I have done a lot of formal courses but always with the purpose of, “How do I apply this data” rather than “How do I remember it so I can pass an exam.”

And I have done a lot of self-directed learning with the purpose of learning, sharing and applying the data.)

The Fourth Turning First comes a High, a period of confident expansion. Next comes an Awakening, a time of spiritual exploration and rebellion. Then comes an Unraveling, in which individualism triumphs over crumbling institutions. Last comes a Crisis—the Fourth Turning—when society passes through a great and perilous gate in history (The Fourth Turning)

https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/a-fourth-turning