Often when I hear people talk about something, they describe what happened, or what was said. Then they go on to give me the meaning they see in that. The moral of the story.
In those moments, I wonder what’s in the mind of the speaker. That his or her truth is the truth? Or that the onlookers aren’t smart enough to come to their own conclusions? Mathematically, the strategy could be described as A → B. What if we just talked about A and left it at that? There may be a lesson but you figure that out. Your lesson may be different from mine.
***
I watched a commercial on CNN today for Aetna Medicare. A black man, maybe 60, was shooting hoops on a community basketball court. Not only shooting, but sinking every shot … from well behind the foul line. Oh, he was having fun! Every once in awhile he’d glance off to the side. Behind a chain link fence were three teens. The girl in the middle held a basketball, and was flanked by two guys.
The girl’s eyes went wide as the man kept nailing his jumpers. She shared a huge smile with her friends. The boys were cooler about it but you could tell they were impressed.
Finally the guy smiled at the kids and made a wide sweep of his arm. The girl basically jumped out of her skin and raced for the gate. The fellows stood there for a few seconds but then followed the girl’s lead.
The next image was a fast game of two on two. Everyone was so intense! Then the man wings a pass to the girl and she swoops in for the layup. High five across the generations.
***
And now is the time for me to stop
(Grin)