Awakening a Keen Observer

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Assumptions

As I was leaving the house this morning I laughed.
I remembered a story from a friend in Malad, Idaho who said that the day before she had gone outside and seen all these different signs and symbols that had been painted on her grass around her house. She was sure that the "Gangs" had finally come to little Malad, ID. She was so upset because apparently they had targeted her house. There were all kinds of circles and arrows and she just "Knew" that this was trouble. She called the police and waited outside to show them the evidence. Others came by and saw here standing puzzling in her yard and were also convinced that they had to act now to curb the gang problem coming to their town.
They stood and waited and others came (there's only so much to do in Malad) and then the police came and the city workers came and looked. She said they looked at one another puzzled too. But then she realized the puzzled look was expression more of how to tell her what was really going on.
Apparently early in the morning the workers had come by and marked the places in her yard where a major wire went through and where there was a gas line, and where the water line was,...all different colors of paint on the grass. They needed to do repair of the street nearby and needed some guide markers.
She said when they told her she started laughing...and everyone started laughing and they all just had a great time some with tears laughing at their jumping to such horrible conclusions. She told others the story to make a point.
She wasn't really all that embarrassed, well maybe a litte. Mainly she was sure that she had learned a valuable lesson. We can in the face of 'fact' =marks on her yard= think that truly it is a sign of bad things to come or in the face of 'fact' we can be more open and curious. Not jump to the island of Conclusions.

In one of my favorite childrens' stories the Phantom Tollbooth the main character ends up on the Island of conclusions...you guessed it...he jumped there and the only way to get off was to swim through the sea of reason. At least that's how I remember it.

So, in the face of 'fact' friends be open to new conclusions and let reason bathe your assumptions until they become empty of the fear which makes you jump to the worst case!

and remember always and always.
God abides
Bobbie McGarey
@2004

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