Have you ever ridden across the grasslands of Oklahoma or the plains of west Texas and wondered what may have gone through the early settlers minds when they encountered such place? If you really think about it there were no highways, no fences, no towns or at least not thirty minutes away. The mere thought of transplanting your family to a new place that really held no history or record of existing would be a really hearty undertaking. I guess it could also be considered fool hardy and careless.... maybe.... It's all in the perspective.
I'm not one to take great chances especially when it puts others lives and futures at stake. I have spent many hours considering why I'm not a great risk taker and comes down to this for me. I am not nor have I ever been willing to put friends or family in a path that could lead to catastrophic failure or harm. I'm sure there are opportunities I've missed that could have really changed the way we live and the level of comfort we may have had a chance at but it wasn't worth the way things could have drastically turned the opposite direction and ruined a lot of things for us.
I have yet to find a balance for risk when it comes to putting my family in situations that are a 50/50 opportunity. Is my outlook or are my choices selfish? I'm not sure. I do know I am a product of my father's direction. Do not assume I'm laying blame, there is no blame. Maybe this is the point of this post. Each of us, regardless of our raising, have the opportunity to break out of generational molds and set a new standard for those that follow. Generational traits are like risk and opportunity. A family can carry a trait of bravery, loyalty, poverty, evil, and any other words you choose to place in the pot. We are always given a choice in every situation and circumstance. It's almost always a 50/50 deal. If you think you come from a line of ______________. Why does that mean you have to be of the same character? Are you not able to break the mold? Sure you are but it takes a great deal of determination. If your parents were abusive there is nothing saying you are going to be the same way. If your family has a history of dependency whether its drinking, drugs, food, or laziness, whatever it appears to be it does not have to be a part of your life. So if I'm a product of my father's direction maybe you assumed it was to be taken as a bad thing but my intent was he taught me to be respectful of others. Strangers, Family, friends, no matter who, be respectful. Respect their belongings, respect their property, respect their opinions and their feelings even if you don't agree with them. My being overly protective is a character trait that I choose out of love. My intentions are for the best. My choices don't always mirror my intentions. I've been accused of being demeaning to my family but those that accuse do not realize my intent and what they consider demeaning is not reflective of the intent when I make a choice. My intent has always been to protect my family. To help them make choices that would keep them from harms way. Believe me it's been quite frustrating on both sides of the fence. I can tell my daughter not to do something and while my intent is to keep her out of a bad situation she doesn't see it that way and feels I'm being hurtful and mean. Who's wrong? In my opinion it's neither of us. She doesn't see or understand my intent and I don't see how I'm taking away her freedom. So we argue. She disobeys, I react. I give her rules to keep her safe she thinks I don't trust her. What's the answer? I'm not sure. I think at some level we both need to grow up. I need to trust her to make decisions that will keep her out of troubling situations and she needs to see her father's love. Again, who's wrong? Neither. We obviously are not communicating in a manner that reveals either of our intents to each other. How do we fix it? I don't know but we can't stop trying. I stated the other day that words are simply a method of transporting our intent to others around us. The words we speak lead to 50/50 choices. The choice first comes to the one conveying the words. Are the words chosen carefully and do they narrow the intent for the person hearing them? Has the speaker chosen words that fit the situation in a manner that the hearer cannot twist the intent to make it what it originally was not? On the other hand, does the one that hears respectfully receive the intent as it was meant to be? Does the one that hears consider the array of intentions available and is the hearer able to narrow the choices to reflect the intent the speaker is offering? It really all comes down to communication and choices. Maybe it's time to learn how to speak to those we love. And life goes on...
I'll read this again in a week and reconsider my intent, we'll see how I receive my own advice or criticism, guess it depends on how I receive it....
Why did the chicken cross the playground? You'll have too reverse answer below to solve the question.
side other the to get to.
Consider what you just did to get the answer. Sometimes we hear things backwards and really miss the intent. Sometimes we say things backwards and send out the wrong intent. We really need to consider what we say and how it will be received before we open the hatch and set the intent free.
Hope you laughed at the joke. Thanks Laffy Taffy!
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