This cartoon reminds me of the bumper sticker, “Beam me up, Scotty. There’s no intelligent life down here.”
If you were an intelligent life form somewhere else in the universe would you try to contact us? I’m not sure I would. As I’ve said before, I think we’re all a bunch of nuts. 😉
That doesn’t mean we’re not lovable nuts, of course. That’s been a liberating concept for me, that we don’t have to be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes, to make fools of ourselves, to keep trying things.
Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love that quote, and love this one from The Cheerful Cherub even more:
I’m sure I have a noble mind
And honesty and tact,
And no one’s more surprised than I
To see the way I act!
That’s been a great comfort to me when I’ve made a fool of myself one more time.
The other day I came across another poem that’s a bit longer, but it brings back the feeling of embarrassment and regret when I’ve blown it again. Sometimes all you can do is laugh.
The Cookie Thief
by Valerie CoxA woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shops.
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be.
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,
Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,
As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”With each cookie she took, he took one too,
When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.He offered her half, as he ate the other,
She snatched it from him and thought… oooh, brother.
This guy has some nerve and he’s also rude,
Why he didn’t even show any gratitude!She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat,
Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,
There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.If mine are here, she moaned in despair,
The others were his, and he tried to share.
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.
Sometimes I wish I were more perfect, but then I think, “Don’t be so arrogant, Jean, Old Gal. We’re all a bunch of nuts. Why should you be any different?”
What do you think?
At first I thought that the woman should have felt REALLY BAD(LY) that she ate half of that poor man’s cookies.
Then I thought she should laugh because we’re all a bunch of nuts.
bikehikebabe,
I would still wish I could go back and apologize, and I would try to remember to check out my assumptions in the future, but I would forgive myself. Life can be complicated for us mere morals.
Hi Jean! Great quotes and I loved the poem! Might we confuse intelligence with wisdom? Some of the wisest, kindest and most humble people I know have no certifiable credentials but they are fantastic teachers.
Honest mistake — not intentional. She should be embarrassed, and wonder what the poor man thought of her.
I certainly am not perfect. What would be the fun in that.
.-= Mike Goad´s last blog ..Moving on =-.
suzen,
The Dalai Lama says the greatest teachers are the mothers, who are the first to teach us about love. I agree with you that other people do the same thing and it has nothing to do with academic ability or achievement. And, of course, not all mothers are capable of teaching.
Mike,
Yes, embarrassment is sometimes warranted. We need enough to motivate us to do better but not enough to get self-absorbed and mired down in guilt.
I agree, how boring would perfection be?
I’ve heard several versions of that story. A Jeffrey Archer short story (Anthology: A Quiver Full of Arrows) uses a packet of cigarettes instead of a bag of cookies; and a legend going around Dublin for years (everyone said that this happened to their friend) used a Kit Kat bar (you know the one, four fingers in a bar). I’m sure it’s happened many times. It’s a very good story. We probably all do it at times.
.-= gaelikaa´s last blog ..A Spark To A Flame =-.
Jean – Well, I, for one, am certainly very seldom bored.
.-= Mike Goad´s last blog ..Moving on =-.
What do I think, Jean? Not a lot. I don’t eat cookies and people with nut allergies are a bit of a pain (not their fault I am sure).
Jean, people apologize too much. That guy probably enjoyed sharing HIS cookies, engaging in eye contact with you every so often. Money well spent.
U
If I were the bloke sitting next to you, and you were stealing my cookies AND if I just happened to see you in the plane too, I would get up, go away for a few minutes and return with a gift wrapped package. The label would read, “Nuts from a nut to a nut.” You will open the packet and see a packet of peanuts that the airlines gives free.
.-= Rummuser´s last blog ..Let Me Tell You About My Weekend. =-.
Rummuser I just put on your blog, “You are always very kind.”
The new comment in my email was Ursula’s.
Yes, people are too apologetic. In Ireland it was tiresome because the shops were small & when your sleeve brushed against theirs it was, “I’m so sorry.” (I’m so sorry Grannymar, who is Irish, to have said that. -See what I mean?)
P.S. That was Ireland then, but 20+ years have passed. I doubt that the Irish are quite as polite now with World Wide Web (& American TV).
We’re all becoming the same. The black lipstick & clothes era, (fair skinned Swedes looked like death), acid washed jeans, garbage carts etc. All appeared at the same time.
We are “follow the trend Nuts”. Then there are the nut Nuts, pics you see on your email. We don’t have to be the same.
gaelikaa,
I hadn’t realized there were so many versions. It makes sense because it’s so easy for all of us to do at times.
Mike,
Ditto. 🙂
Ursula,
I agree the fellow enjoyed sharing his cookies. I would want to go back and thank him. I wouldn’t care that I ate his cookies, I would care that I was so rude. Overly apologizing would just put the focus on me, I would want to belatedly make a connection and show some appreciation.
Rummuser,
Sending the peanuts might work, only I would send it as a thank you gift.
bikehikebabe,
Yes, I would imagine that they might be a bit less civil now.
I have generally been a fervent believer in a slightly skewed Calvinism based on a Doctrine of Total Insanity. Certainly this can be proved if I only include myself as an example, but sometimes others leave me feeling that this is too extreme of a position.
.-= Looney´s last blog .. =-.
Looney,
I’m not sure I understand that last statement. Could you give me a specific example?
Well, the man in your example is one. Then there are people I have seen who care for someone else in need at great personal expense over a period of time for no reason at all. This encourages me and gives me a sense that there is a sane purpose in a world gone mad.
.-= Looney´s last blog .. =-.
Looney,
The neat thing about the cookie story is it shows we don’t have to do great things to make this world a friendlier place. It was just a story, of course, but it does remind us that we have chances to connect in our everyday lives.
Jean, I am also reminded that a lot of people out there would consider the man who shared the cookies to be the nut, while the unknowingly exploitative lady would be the genius. It is sad the way this works out when things get reversed.
.-= Looney´s last blog .. =-.
Looney,
Yes, I’ve met people like that. One fellow accused me of having psychological problems because I like doing things for other people. Whatever…I have no intention of changing. I take good care of myself too. My experience is that happy people want to share their happiness. When I stop wanting to share it’s a warning sign. There is some issue I need to work on.
Well Looney, We’re all nuts. I’m looney too. But Jean has transformed me into a happy nut. No easy feat.
bikehikebabe,
You made my day. Maybe I won’t be eaten by a crocodile after all. 🙂
Heavens, I gotta be happy & make others happy. Don’t want to be eaten by a crocodile! 🙁 [Loved that]