One of my least favorite sayings in the world is, “Well, you know what happens when you assume, right? You make an ____ out of you and me!” This immediately makes me feel like making the other person really sad. Typically, the conversation is initiated by someone who has been wronged by the other person in some way. For example:
Person A: “Hey, you were late. I assumed you’d be here at 1:45 because the play started at 2.”
Person B: (In snarky tone) “Well, that’s what you get for assuming. You know what happens when you assume right?”
Person A: (blank stare and extreme self-control stops them from making the other person a sad person)
Essentially, what has happened here is that Person B has abdicated responsibility for his or her actions based on a snarky response that he or she believes is clever but really shows exactly how very little person B knows or understands about him or herself as a person. It also indicates that they have no respect for the person they are talking to and that they consider themselves far more clever than they really are and have no excuse for what they’ve done.
Why do I say that they don’t understand their personhood? Well, from the time we are infants, we observe the world around us and based on those clues (assumptions!), we grow and develop. Without social learning we would have no idea of social customs, culture or social norms. How often do you see generally sane adults making faces at babies? Why do they do that? Because babies, who imitate, will do it back…and frankly, it’s just adorable. Infants pick up on the assumption that if they make those silly faces back at that crazy adult, the adult will reward them with a smile or a clap or a loud noise. It’s how we learn, people. Some of those assumptions that we’ve made, at some point or another, were facts. And, to be honest, the majority of the ones we make as adults are pretty truthful, as well. Not always, but a good majority of the time.
So, unless you plan on going around calling perfectly adorable babies ____es, please stop using that cliched phrase and start taking responsibility for your business.
Blueshelled.com is 2 years old today! Some of you have been here from the start and some of you are brand new and a lot of you are smack dab in the middle. The bottom line is that I adore all of you and want to thank you for sticking around and showing the love for a small blog that makes my life a lot better. Thank you.
Back when I was a kid, that’s right y’all, batten down the hatches it’s a middle school reminiscence, the Olympics seemed like a much bigger deal than they feel now that I’m an adult. In the early 90′s the Olympics were huge, from gymnastics, to skating, to track and field, everything was go big or go home. It was the era of Michael Jordan and the Bulls and we were not about to be impressed by anyone in sports that was subpar. It was around this time that a delicate featured young figure skater took the world by storm. Kristi Yamaguchi was the girl every young girl wanted to be. She was a role model for those that not only wanted to be in sports, but who also needed a role model for character. As I’ve aged, I’ve continued to search for strong female role models and I’ve found few who are as graceful under pressure. Thus, when I found out that she was writing a book for her young daughters, I jumped on the chance to take a look at it and review it.
When you have such a public sports figure, you must assume that they will write about what they know. In this case, the expertise is in things that will make little girls smile and increase their self-esteem and figure skating. In these two realms, Ms. Yamaguchi excels. Dream Big, Little Pig is the story of Poppy, a little girl pig with big ambition, but little ability to follow through on her decisions. She attempts many different “careers” in her dream of being a superstar, but it isn’t until she tries figure skating that she finds her niche. During her attempts at various careers, she relies on her supportive family and friends to get her through her disappointments and she ignores those who tell her she can’t do something. In the end, Poppy succeeds, her family and friends cheer and little girls learn that they can do anything if they try hard enough and have a little bit of natural talent.
“Dream Big, Little Pig” is nicely written and a book that is good for ages 4-7. It has adorable illustrations by Tim Bowers that are full of glitter and pink and purple and all things girlie. This is very definitely a girl-power book and the phrase “You go, girl” is used repeatedly. This one isn’t for the little men, but the message is still a good one for any little ones that might need a little self-esteem boost…or who just like an excellent, pretty book.
*Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thanks for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts on it with others!
Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
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We are members of one great body. Nature planted in us a mutual love, and fitted us for a social life. We must consider that we were born for the good of the whole.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
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One of my least favorite sayings in the world is, “Well, you know what happens when you assume, right? You make an ____ out of you and me!” This immediately makes me feel like making the other person really sad. Typically, the conversation is initiated by someone who has been wronged by the other person in some way. For example:
Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
