I don't know if I have written about the rules 100 times or not but it does seem that the subject comes up very often. In the past I have written about rules for napping, eating and driving. Today I am going to talk about the rules that get us from here to there with the least amount of words.
You see, most people don't listen and when they do, they don't really understand what we are saying. No, we are not talking in an outer galaxy dialect. Everyone knows we are saying "Blah, blah, blah and so on." The normal answer we get is "What?" or "Huh?"
So, two different times during the last two days I have found people getting to the point with very few words. No "blah, blah, blah." at all. I get it. I have done it for years.
One of my favorite blogger wrote a post yesterday called Unisex Restroom, A cranky opinion for CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY The blogger goes by the name of Cranky Old Man. (He makes me laugh which is fun which is part of being happy!) In the post he talked about Unisex Bathrooms and how he felt about sharing a bathroom with someone that was only dressed as a man. He had an opinion...he usually does.
Then he shared a few rules that would make it okay for a woman dressed as a man to use the stall next to him. Early on the list was "No looking!". That made me laugh. I suppose that applied to the men too.
But the one I loved was "NO BEING CREEPY". Wow talk about getting to the point. It was classic because he didn't need to say anymore.
I watched an episode of DCI Banks on PBS last night. Very near the end of the show Banks was talking to the teenage child of a co-worker that was in jail for breaking and entering. The boy was acting out because he was unhappy being a teenager. We all know how that age feels. But it was what Banks said to the boy that hit me between the eyes.
There was no big long explanation of what the rules were or what would happen if he broke them. He simply said, "OK here's the deal...BEHAVE YOURSELF. Alright?" No more. Oh, and the boy got a place and some time to think about it. It only seemed natural.
I can't tell you how many times I have told children and grandchildren and students that were misbehaving, "BE NICE!" It always stopped them in their tracks. It was so easy to understand. No threats, no shouting just two simple words. If they needed to think about it, I gave them the time and place to do that. No more!
So if we take our three rules and put them in a list, our day would have some good guidelines don't you think?
You see, most people don't listen and when they do, they don't really understand what we are saying. No, we are not talking in an outer galaxy dialect. Everyone knows we are saying "Blah, blah, blah and so on." The normal answer we get is "What?" or "Huh?"
So, two different times during the last two days I have found people getting to the point with very few words. No "blah, blah, blah." at all. I get it. I have done it for years.
One of my favorite blogger wrote a post yesterday called Unisex Restroom, A cranky opinion for CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY The blogger goes by the name of Cranky Old Man. (He makes me laugh which is fun which is part of being happy!) In the post he talked about Unisex Bathrooms and how he felt about sharing a bathroom with someone that was only dressed as a man. He had an opinion...he usually does.Then he shared a few rules that would make it okay for a woman dressed as a man to use the stall next to him. Early on the list was "No looking!". That made me laugh. I suppose that applied to the men too.
But the one I loved was "NO BEING CREEPY". Wow talk about getting to the point. It was classic because he didn't need to say anymore.
I watched an episode of DCI Banks on PBS last night. Very near the end of the show Banks was talking to the teenage child of a co-worker that was in jail for breaking and entering. The boy was acting out because he was unhappy being a teenager. We all know how that age feels. But it was what Banks said to the boy that hit me between the eyes.
There was no big long explanation of what the rules were or what would happen if he broke them. He simply said, "OK here's the deal...BEHAVE YOURSELF. Alright?" No more. Oh, and the boy got a place and some time to think about it. It only seemed natural.
I can't tell you how many times I have told children and grandchildren and students that were misbehaving, "BE NICE!" It always stopped them in their tracks. It was so easy to understand. No threats, no shouting just two simple words. If they needed to think about it, I gave them the time and place to do that. No more!
So if we take our three rules and put them in a list, our day would have some good guidelines don't you think?
- No being creepy.
- Behave yourself.
- Be nice.
I like it a lot. Do you have a rule to add to the list?
b+
Love the post Barb. I am on a NO Blah, Blah, Blah crusade myself. That is why I limit my posts to 500 words. I guess for the Twitter people out there that is even too much but I just don't think you can relay an intelligent thought with 140 letters as the current Oval Office occupant thinks. BE NICE.... I like that
ReplyDeleteI think it is too. Actually, here in Arizona there are BE NICE bumper stickers everywhere. But I thought of it first...I'm just saying.
DeleteRJ, I WANTED TO ADD SOMETHING ABOUT THE BLOG POST LENGTH. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. OUR ATTENTION SPAN IS NOT VERY LONG AND SO MOST READERS SIMPLY SCAN WHAT WE SAY UNLESS WE USE VERY FEW WORDS. HOWEVER, A LOT IS LOST IN TRANSLATION ON TWITTER. IT IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO COMMUNICATE WHEN YOU HAVE LOTS OF MUCH POWER (AND SHOULD BE DIPLOMATIC).THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER.
DeleteLove his philosophy. My personal thing is this: get rid of all the urinals, have only stalls and let everyone use any bathroom.
ReplyDeleteME TOO! SIGH.
DeleteYour rules are so fun and upbeat. How about adding "think before you speak" or is that just too crazy?
ReplyDeleteWELL IT IS NOT "CREEPY" SO I THINK IT IS WONDERFUL. :)
DeleteBecause we seemed to have fallen down a rabbit hole and found ourselves in a "post-truth" world, I'd add DON'T LIE.
ReplyDeleteI attended a college where some of the dorms were co-ed. We shared bathrooms and, as far as I know, there were no issues. The bathrooms didn't have urinals and the showers had curtains so everyone had their privacy. I grew up sharing a small bathroom with two older brothers, so - to me - it was no big deal.
Being truthful is very important...and I am not talking about an "alternate truth"! Yes, I think BE TRUTHFUL would work. Thank you.
DeleteReally, what other rules do you need? I tried to think of some more, but all of the ones I thought of could be fit into one of the ones you already listed. Keep it simple. Like the Dalai Lama saying "My religion is kindness." Oh. No further explanation needed.
ReplyDeleteYes, "and no more". In the be truthful suggested above I should have added that some truths are not necessary and are in many ways hurtful and counterproductive.
DeleteIt is funny but it is true. There are certain rules that we make or follow everyday without knowing that they even exist. Thanks for this post. It brightens up my day.
ReplyDeleteYou brightened my day. I have been finding the need to remind myself to be upbeat. Thank you.
DeleteMean what you say; say what you mean; don't say it mean. And as for the bathroom issue, it's hard not to go into the empty "male" bathroom when the lineup at the "female" bathroom is 50-deep.
ReplyDeleteI find that women can support each other in the bathroom issue. And you are right that we need to be careful to be honest with ourselves and of course BE NICE. Thank you.
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