"Because," said Scrooge, "a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach
makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a
crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than
of grave about you, whatever you are!"
I love "A Christmas Carol," especially in the George C. Scott version that is now available. We watch it as a family on Christmas Eve. The quote above is a favorite of mine, because it is so true. Scrooge is talking to Marley's Ghost about his senses and why he does not trust them. He is a wise man in this regard.
This morning, I had a similar experience. I have a cell phone which I use as an alarm clock. My ringtone (and alarm tone) is from the Vince Guaraldi piece "Linus and Lucy," from A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is a favorite piece of music for me.
This morning, I suddenly heard the ringtone, for no reason. I was lying in bed and could hear it just as clearly as anything, except it seemed to be somewhat low in tone, as if it were from another room. I checked my phone, but it was not playing (or doing anything). I checked the hallway and it was not there. I got back in bed and there it was again.
And it was the ringtone, not the song. It kept going over and over (a ringtone is 30 seconds long). Finally, I just got up and showered and headed to work.
How fallible we all are. We hear things that are not there (everyone can tell some story of some sound they hear that is not there). We have optical illusions. We have false memories. We have all kinds of experiences that mimic reality but are not real.
So, be patient with people. As I lay there listening to that ringtone go over and over, it occurred to me that it might be my neighbors. In my frustration with it, I could even have gotten angry with my neighbors for playing that sound over and over. But it could not have been them. I made the ringtone myself and they were already up and gone.
How quickly we get angry over things that do not matter and in which someone else may actually be innocent. I often forget these little events, but I want to remember this one. The day my mind made me hear what was not there.
I will remember this next time I assume someone means something they do not actually say, or when I assume someone is being insulting when they are just being factual, or when I think someone else should have known what I was thinking. I will remember this as I walk through a life filled with choices I have to make about what to be sure of.
If I cannot even be sure of what I hear, then I certainly cannot be sure of what someone else feels or thinks, can I? So, maybe I should love them instead.
.
makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a
crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than
of grave about you, whatever you are!"
I love "A Christmas Carol," especially in the George C. Scott version that is now available. We watch it as a family on Christmas Eve. The quote above is a favorite of mine, because it is so true. Scrooge is talking to Marley's Ghost about his senses and why he does not trust them. He is a wise man in this regard.
This morning, I had a similar experience. I have a cell phone which I use as an alarm clock. My ringtone (and alarm tone) is from the Vince Guaraldi piece "Linus and Lucy," from A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is a favorite piece of music for me.
This morning, I suddenly heard the ringtone, for no reason. I was lying in bed and could hear it just as clearly as anything, except it seemed to be somewhat low in tone, as if it were from another room. I checked my phone, but it was not playing (or doing anything). I checked the hallway and it was not there. I got back in bed and there it was again.
And it was the ringtone, not the song. It kept going over and over (a ringtone is 30 seconds long). Finally, I just got up and showered and headed to work.
How fallible we all are. We hear things that are not there (everyone can tell some story of some sound they hear that is not there). We have optical illusions. We have false memories. We have all kinds of experiences that mimic reality but are not real.
So, be patient with people. As I lay there listening to that ringtone go over and over, it occurred to me that it might be my neighbors. In my frustration with it, I could even have gotten angry with my neighbors for playing that sound over and over. But it could not have been them. I made the ringtone myself and they were already up and gone.
How quickly we get angry over things that do not matter and in which someone else may actually be innocent. I often forget these little events, but I want to remember this one. The day my mind made me hear what was not there.
I will remember this next time I assume someone means something they do not actually say, or when I assume someone is being insulting when they are just being factual, or when I think someone else should have known what I was thinking. I will remember this as I walk through a life filled with choices I have to make about what to be sure of.
If I cannot even be sure of what I hear, then I certainly cannot be sure of what someone else feels or thinks, can I? So, maybe I should love them instead.
.