You can laugh or you can cry…
The choice is simple when challenged with life’s everyday crises. Not sweating “the small stuff” is wise; why not the “medium stuff,” too?
Westshore residents in the habit of “laughing it off” may successfully defend themselves against routine annoyances. Some in our area could credit the perennial Reader's Digest feature, “Laughter, The Best Medicine” with instilling the notion that it really is!
What era in human existence has been devoid of hardship, war, aggression, violence, corruption and strife? Why haven’t several million years of walking upright and standing tall resulted in the human race embracing a standard of civilized behavior sufficient to make the world a better and safer place in which to live? “Too much slime,” Ghostbuster fans might say!
But the beat goes on. Everyone’s going to experience life’s ups and downs. Why not make the best of a situation whenever you can?
With heightened activities during the holidays, whose patience isn’t going to be tested? Remember that good things happen, too.
What about the instant elation from being second in line when a new checkout lane opens? You might not laugh out loud, but you’ll be glad, just the same! If you’re lucky, you’ll breeze right through the line.
But we know what comes next: the light mounted by the register starts flashing as Customer No. 1 disputes pricing, the store manager is attending to others and you can’t decide whether to wait or move to another register. Have a chuckle while chalking it up as par for the course. It could be worse. What if you were holding up the growing line of tired shoppers and receiving angry glares?
Who isn’t grateful for living at a time when technological advances enhance the quality of life? (Other than those who’ve lost their social skills.)
Yet, if stopping to consider potential downsides, including misuse of information, hacking, phishing, cramming, scamming and vulnerability of the very infrastructure on which you rely, you could just cry.
It’s enough to make you reluctant to let go of certain basics. This can be either sad or laughable, depending on your outlook. Low-tech conveniences that work reliably may forever have their place.
Take, for example, what could be Ohio’s slam-dunk approval allowing telephone companies to discontinue a service that they claim is no longer profitable but has been working reliably for decade after decade: basic telephone service. With the rates they charge? Who are they kidding? When the power is out, wouldn’t it be advantageous to have the ability to pick up a phone and call out in case of emergency?
What if, instead, somebody thought to outlaw ALL inbound telemarketing! Laugh last and laugh best!
Better to laugh than to cry, wouldn’t you say? Be happy and stay well!