(The acting is as bad as the guy is clueless.)
Women will, of course, call the video a reality-documentary.
I think it's worth spending the 90 seconds or so to watch it anyway because it ties in nicely with the rest of this post.
This week, the Tampa Bay Times (my local newspaper) reprinted an op-ed from Gina Barreca titled:
(The link goes to the original webpage.)
Ms. Barreca had a 20-something roommate who she described as an "educated, sane man" but discovered that had a similar world view as the guy portrayed in the video.
Like the mystery baskets and tables, Ms. Barreca's house had magic light bulbs. At least that's what her roommate decided when he remarked "how amazed he was that given all the time we'd been in our apartment, not one light bulb had ever stopped working." (He was serious!)
Like the mystery baskets and tables, Ms. Barreca's house had magic light bulbs. At least that's what her roommate decided when he remarked "how amazed he was that given all the time we'd been in our apartment, not one light bulb had ever stopped working." (He was serious!)
Then she segues into a really good read about maturity.
It's a long piece, but it continues "Here's what maturity does: Maturity fills the salt-shakers and it wipes down the shelves in the fridge when they're sticky. It empties the kitty litter before stalagmites form. Maturity understands that there can be one junk drawer in a house, but not 27."
[Flash back 60 years]
When I was growing up, I had noticed that Mom would "borrow" the bulb from a lamp to use in the room where we doing something else. I don't know how often it happened. A 10-year-old has two measures of time: never and forever. But I did notice the light bulb swaps.
I was the oldest of four children trying to find a Christmas present for our mom, and that year we collectively came up with something unique: a cardboard box filled with new light bulbs! As a Christmas gift, it wasn't exotic, sexy, expensive, hand-crafted, or even fun; but she was touched that we had seen that in her life and had acted on it. However she really felt, we all glowed under the appreciation she showered on us that year.
[Flash forward to today]
When I was first invited to M'Lady's home in 2013, I was surprised at the number of dark corners and broken light bulbs. I didn't chastise or criticize; I didn't even mention it. Instead I simply showed up a couple dates later with a bag of light bulbs and proceeded to "light up her life." I must have changed a dozen bulbs that evening. I cleaned the dead moth parts from all the the porch lights around the house when I changed those bulbs, too. I left a box of new light bulbs behind, for her future use. The engineer in me couldn't resist clearly labeling the box Light Bulbs. :-) I later installed a motion detector light fixture in her walk-in pantry. (I knew to ask her permission before I started that project....)
Ms Barreca began her article with the question:
I hope I am. I know I have other things to work on.
I invite you to read her entire piece: "Maturity is getting it done, no whining" Where do you fall on the maturity~to~immaturity scale?
It's a long piece, but it continues "Here's what maturity does: Maturity fills the salt-shakers and it wipes down the shelves in the fridge when they're sticky. It empties the kitty litter before stalagmites form. Maturity understands that there can be one junk drawer in a house, but not 27."
[Flash back 60 years]
When I was growing up, I had noticed that Mom would "borrow" the bulb from a lamp to use in the room where we doing something else. I don't know how often it happened. A 10-year-old has two measures of time: never and forever. But I did notice the light bulb swaps.
I was the oldest of four children trying to find a Christmas present for our mom, and that year we collectively came up with something unique: a cardboard box filled with new light bulbs! As a Christmas gift, it wasn't exotic, sexy, expensive, hand-crafted, or even fun; but she was touched that we had seen that in her life and had acted on it. However she really felt, we all glowed under the appreciation she showered on us that year.
[Flash forward to today]
When I was first invited to M'Lady's home in 2013, I was surprised at the number of dark corners and broken light bulbs. I didn't chastise or criticize; I didn't even mention it. Instead I simply showed up a couple dates later with a bag of light bulbs and proceeded to "light up her life." I must have changed a dozen bulbs that evening. I cleaned the dead moth parts from all the the porch lights around the house when I changed those bulbs, too. I left a box of new light bulbs behind, for her future use. The engineer in me couldn't resist clearly labeling the box Light Bulbs. :-) I later installed a motion detector light fixture in her walk-in pantry. (I knew to ask her permission before I started that project....)
Ms Barreca began her article with the question:
Are you mature enough to pass the light bulb test?
I hope I am. I know I have other things to work on.
I invite you to read her entire piece: "Maturity is getting it done, no whining" Where do you fall on the maturity~to~immaturity scale?
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