Friday; July 8

I have recently started driving a different car. There are several things I like about it, but soon after I started driving it, I heard a strange sound as I was backing out of the driveway. I stopped and rolled down my window and realized it has one of those back-up beepers on it. Whenever put it in reverse it sends out a warning. At first I thought about disabling it – I didn’t want to sound like a garbage truck when I was backing out of parking space – but the more I got to thinking about it the more I liked it. When I set my preconceptions aside, I figured there was value in letting the people around me know when I am backing up. Even if I forget to look behind me, they have a chance to get out of my way and avoid being hurt. Backing into a pedestrian or bicyclist would make for a terrible day. Giving them a little extra warning could keep them and me from experiencing a tragedy!

As I reflected on this, I got to wondering if applying an “early warning system” might be a good idea in other aspects of our lives. What if we were upfront with people when we weren’t having a good day? How many conflicts could we avoid if we simply said, “You know, I am just not on my A-game today. Would you be okay if we put off this discussion until tomorrow?”. No, it might be as annoying as the back-up beeper on my car, but it might be just as effective at avoiding tragedies.

Let’s learn to cope with our bad moods, but when we don’t, let’s practice transparency. It may delay some decisions, but that might not be a bad thing if it keeps us from getting crossways with people.

Think About It!

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