Until today. I need an outlet. A place to put all the random things that run through my brain that aren't important enough to interrupt someone's day with a phone call, but too funny/amusing/thoughtful/entertaining/otherwise to let them slip away. Or worse, try to capture with pen, pencil, and paper. Some of us are just too clumsy to deal with such cumbersomeness.
Today's random thought: Wouldn't it be nice to have a yearly evaluation for everything in your life? It's simply unfair that those in the workplace are the only ones who get to engage in this activity. Can't you imagine how liberating it would be to sit down with everyone in your life who takes up any kind of significant time and honestly tell them the things they are doing well with you, the areas that need improvement, and the goals for going forward? As long as the evaluation was tactful and you were open to receiving one as well, I think this could take all kinds of relationships to a better level.
Instead of having to drop subtle (or not so subtle) hints about your likes and dislikes, you could make note throughout the year and then lay it out in a calm, rational manner. Instead of having to have a disclaimer on my Facebook profile about how much I dislike unsolicitated parenting advice and hoping that the people I'm directing it at would actually take notice and STOP DOING IT, I could just make notes in their file and when that time of year rolled around, I could site the examples of them doing it and then make it a goal for them to knock it off in the year to come. If they fail to work on it, they may be demoted in the friendship department to acquaintance.
"Oh, so harsh! Who do you think you are? How can you be so cold about your friends?" I can hear the protests and hackles standing up on the back of some necks. My response is....just picture that one person in your life who manages to get under your skin. Even when you have given yourself a stern talking to after you've seen them or pep talked yourself up in anticipation of the encounter. Picture sitting across from them at a conference table, forms spread out in front of you, them waiting in anticipation to hear the news....and imagine giving them some good news (I really like your chocolate chip cookies, Peggy Sue....they really brighten my day whenever you make some for me) followed by some bad news (but...what we really need to work on is how you take every opportunity to offer insulting parenting advice like don't allow my child to stick metal objects into electrical outlets. Honestly, what normal, average, common sense abiding parent with a brain in their head would allow their 6 month old to do such a thing?) followed by some good news (I really like how we have the same taste in movies. It makes it so easy to talk to you at dinner parties) followed by the goal (So, Peggy Sue, over the next year, I really hope you bake me some more cookies and watch a movie with me...but let's really focus on you NOT offering ANY parenting advice AT ALL. EVER.)
It would be awesome.
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