Some people always return shopping carts. (I suppose, after almost eight years in the Deep South, I should get used to calling them “buggies.”) Some never return them. And some return them occasionally, depending on circumstances. You probably didn’t need a university study to reach that conclusion. What was revealed in one such study, however, is surprising.
Facts are stubborn things, said John Adams. But being stubborn does not always win you an argument. We have all been in “discussions” in which we were correct and the simpleton on the other side of the table was not. We laid out the facts as plainly as anyone could. And they remained unconvinced.
Maybe they found comfort in character assassination, or muddied the waters with irrelevant information. Maybe they just threw up their hands and left the room. Maybe they even took a swing at you. What they didn’t do, though, is change their mind. Facts had nothing to do with their position, either before or after the discussion.
If you happen to find yourself in Sun City, Arizona, watch out for llamas. At last report two of them were running wild, creating a great deal of havoc with local traffic and amusing any number of YouTube viewers.
Presumably, the llamas have a home somewhere, and they left it. In retrospect, they probably regret that decision. But in any event, we have to deal with reality, not the world of our own imagination.
I have a new favorite eatery in my lunchtime perimeter. I have been three times now, and every time the same manager was on duty. And she is amazing. Let’s be honest, I’m there for the food. If the food were terrible, I wouldn’t care if Bruce Springsteen, LeBron James and Scarlett Johansson were dishing it up. As it happens, the food is great. And I’m prepared to believe this woman gets a lot of the credit.
I figured out why she impresses me so much.
She is always there.
She is always knowledgeable.
She is always busy.
And she is always smiling.
I have been cranky lately. The circumstances of my life, although delightful in most ways, are not ideal. And I have let that affect my attitude — precisely what I criticize others for doing. I am not sure exactly how bad it has been, but I have enough humility, introspectiveness, and respect for others’ judgment to believe it has been considerably less than what it should be. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, obviously I would encourage you to ignore this paragraph. If you do know, please accept my apology.
The problem with having a day on the calendar specifically dedicated to the giving of thanks is twofold: one, we are tempted to save our expressions of thanksgiving for “the day”; two, when that day arrives, we wind up repeating ourselves. How can something so sacred be ignored and cliché at the same time? And how do we avoid them both?
