Next time I shake my head

I’m going to remind myself to take a moment to hold my head still and ponder instead. There maybe more to it than meets the eye.

It could be . . . . .

• If I’m walking behind someone and they let the door close in my face – that they may have no idea what they have done. I’ll remind myself how I observed dad doing this a few weeks ago. Something I’ve never seen him do before. Unfortunately his Alzheimer’s is now at a stage where his awareness of the world around him is limited and his ability to assess impact of his actions has gone.

• If the person in front of me is going slower than slow with their supermarket trolley – that they’ve lost their sense of balance. I’ll recall what happened to me a few years ago following a major operation. My sense of balance was not bad but my confidence at moving around a busy store had totally gone.

• If the car in front of me forgets to indicate or even worse cuts me up – that they have had some bad news. I’ll think back to the day when I heard a friend had cancer, a loved one had died or work was a nightmare. As I recall those horrid moments I’ll remember how I was not my usual self that day or even the following week, and my attention easily wandered.

• If I return to a house with crumbs on the floor yet again – then it might be that the person who did it simply can’t see it. On holiday with a friend a few years ago I was exasperated every time he did the dishes as I only had to do them again. Then I realised he had in fact done them brilliantly for him. He just couldn’t see what he’d left behind.

So next time I find myself shaking my head, I’ll try and remember to consider if that person is ok or imagine it was me having one of those days. I know if I was having a bad day I’d want them to do it for me.

If you like me shake your head a lot then join me in learning to pause more frequently. If we can take a moment then not only will our patience bear dividends for others but we are more likely to move on positively with our day.

For more positive thoughts this Saturday pop across to Call me Cate and her ingenious Six Word Saturday. You can also click on the photo to see more than the eye!