CLASSES & JOBS

Losing weight can be a difficult struggle. But it’s also worth it in the end. The important thing is to lose weight in a healthy way, and to lose it gradually over time so it stays off in the end, and so you develop healthy eating and exercising habits. Quick, unhealthy diets are bad for your body and won’t help you keep the weight off in the long run.

I had a friend in school who was very athletic and strong when I met her. She was not at all overweight but for some reason became addicted to quick-fix diets. Seeing her deal with this addiction was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It was terrifying to see a close friend not herself. Her skin was pale, her hair was dead, and you could see every bone in her body. She’s doing very well now, but for a while it was scary. It’s so incredibly important to stay healthy while you’re losing weight!

Next time you have an embarrassing verbal moment, think of these and remember that words are slippery things, and we all have some fumbles. A boss of mine during my college years made this lament whenever she tried to communicate with the younger generation, “Communication is an art; and I don’t have a paintbrush!” Language is ever-changing, and keeping up can be a challenge.

A friend who was into drama told of a girl’s audition for a singing part. She chose to sing “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” by Irving Berlin. To get the full effect, bear with me while I spell phonetically. As this would-be artist sang the song, instead of pronouncing the words ‘potato’ and ‘po-tah-to,’ ‘tomato,’ ‘tom-ah-to,’ she sang them so they all sounded the same. “You say potato, I say potato. You say tomato, I say tomato” just misses something, don’t you think? You can tell she had never listened to this song. I wonder how likely it was that she got the part. . . .

This next incident is a personal favorite. I overheard this conversation while working in a college cafeteria during my university days. Let me set the scene: the participants of this verbal exchange were two college-aged girls and a young man. The boy and one of the girls obviously liked each other and wanted to impress one another. In the course of their conversation, the liked girl remarked, “I’ve always said, ‘The eyes are the window to the soul.’”
“Wow, that’s deep,” the awed boy responded.
The third girl ventured, “Umm, I think the president, or someone important said that. . . .”
The liked girl snapped, “Well, he got it from me, then, because I have always said it!”
I nearly bit through my lower lip, I was working so hard to fight back a laugh.
End of conversation.
Post Script: My friends and I looked up the source of this quote. It has been traced back at least as far as Joan of Arc.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. Each of us knows people who have amazing talents we wish we could master. It is easy to compare our weakness with their strengths, and find ourselves wanting. For some reason, the more visible the difference from the perceived “norm,” the more likely it is to be labeled a “disability.”

I’ve never understood this insistence on pigeon-holing others–or ourselves. I know we need to make sense of our world, but why do we insist on smacking labels on everyone and everything? Does it start in grade school as sides are chosen, or much much earlier? Whatever it spawns from, it seems wrong to me to put others down for being different. Why can’t focus on the strengths we each possess rather than pointing to the differences? I can not say it better than the Greek philosopher, Plato: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

Don’t you just wish real life was more like your computer? Think of the advantages!

You don’t have to deal with it until it’s up and running. No second guessing - it is either on or off, no in between. When it asks, “Did you really mean to close out” and you select ‘Yes,’ that’s it - no more banter - no more wheedling or whining - it shuts itself off at your request. When you mistype or make any kind of error, just hit “Undo,” or “Control-Alt-Delete,” and the mistake never happened! Whew - what a relief. It will not wither, or complain, or walk out if you do not give it enough attention. It also does not complain that it is being smothered by perhaps a little too much time and interest. It does not care if you prefer the mouse, or if you are a keypad typist only. It just does not matter. Ahhhhh, the computer, now if only we had an escape button from reality. . .

George Eliot once quipped, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” We all have difficult people in our lives - some a little harder to bear than others. Likely, you know a roommate or co-worker who should wear this quote as a sign to tape his or her mouth safely shut. Each of us puts a foot in the mouth now and then, but some could use their shoelaces as daily floss, they spend so much time in that predicament.

What’s the best way to react to these blunders or faux pas? It may depend on your relationship to the person, or the title they hold at your place of employment. In my experience, it is always the best policy to not “hear” these slip-ups. It may take incredible will-power to keep mum, and you may even take out a chunk of your lip biting down to keep back a laugh, but it will pay off in the end. Keeping good relations with those you spend the bulk of your time with is always in your best interest.