MuddyPuddles

I think back on my life and laugh about some of the crazy things that I have done by accident.  I’ve done some crazy things on purpose, but it those things that happen by accident that are the most embarrassing and that most people can relate to in their own lives.  It’s like all those times when you look around to see if anyone saw you mess up—that’s what I’m talking about.  The problem with it happening with your first kiss is that you know from the start that there is always a witness.   And that’s a problem.

I was a junior in high school as I recall.  I was so naïve and immature in the ways of dating and girls.  And to make it worse, this girl was way above my league, or at least I thought so at the time.  I was definitely stretching my comfort zone to even go out with her.  But, I figured it was what I really wanted to do so I went for it and she agreed to go out with me—more than once. 

I don’t remember exactly which date it was (2^nd or 3^rd or 4^th) but I was definitely planning on kissing her at the end of the date.  That fact alone made the date pretty nerve wracking.

When the time finally came and we were standing outside her front door, I kept saying to myself, “one, two, three” with the intention of actually kissing her on “three.”  She was standing there, probably amused at my uncertain behavior.  Finally, after about the third or fifth countdown, I closed my eyes and went for it.

I leaned in and felt my lips make contact, but they were definitely not connecting to lips.  It was some flat surface but I couldn’t exactly tell where it was.  In my mind I was thinking, “Uh Oh, what should I do now?  Should I go up?  Should I go left?  Should I go right?  Where am I anyway?”  So I started making adjustments.  She did too.  We swished around for what seemed like about 10 minutes before our lips finally lined up.  I remember feeling a little dizzy at the time—and embarrassed about what had just taken place. 

I was so embarrassed.  I kept thinking about how stupid that must have seemed to this upper level girl.  And now, for sure, every girl in town was going to hear about it.  There was no where to hide.  It was probably going to be in the newspapers with my picture the next week. 

I can laugh about it now.  But I couldn’t for awhile.  And, I can now pass on some valuable information that I’ve never heard anywhere else before—unfortunately.  And that’s life’s rule #2.  “Always keep your eyes open until your lips meet their target.”

God Bless.   Dennis 

Well, I felt a little blah today.  I think I’m getting sick.  But, I decided to do what I was supposed to do rather than do what I felt like doing.  I’m glad I did because I accomplished quite a bit, even though it didn’t look like I was going to at first.  It seemed like everything was going wrong for awhile, but some how I pushed through it and made some progress. 

This being a Monday and feeling the way I felt reminded me of one of my Rules for Living.  I’ll call it Rule Number 1 since it’s the first rule I’m putting on my Blog.  It came about because of observations about my effectiveness and my decisionmaking through the years.  I noticed that on Mondays I usually felt kind of blah.  I was not a good negotiator on Mondays.  I was ready to give things away because I didn’t feel like hasseling with them.

I also noticed that I was not a good negotiator on Fridays.  I was too joyful and excited about the weekend.  Therefore, I would give things away because I was just too happy.  Because I wasn’t a good negotiator (although for very different reasons) on Monday and Friday, I created rule number 1 for my life. 

Rule #1:  Do not make major decisions on Monday or Friday.  That includes things that have to do with major purchases, occupational choices, personal relationships or any major life altering decisions.  Wait until Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to make those decisions.  Those are the best decision making days. 

If you follow this rule your life will be better—I guarantee it.