Make it Work

Theodore Roosevelt is known for the saying: “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” This motto influenced his foreign policy. His administration negotiated diplomatically with foreign countries, while holding the threat of violence in reserve. While I’m not a huge fan of big-stick diplomacy, I have come up with my own version of this motto.

“Talk fast, and wear big earrings; it’ll distract others.”

Say what?? Yeah…I know it’s not quite as profound as Teddy’s quote, but it works for me. I have a variety of flaws. I compensate for most of them by the art of distraction.

I’ve always had a tendency to flit from one random thought to the next. Some people might mistake this for A.D.D., but I prefer to just call it quick thinking. I also have never learned to filter my thoughts before I speak. Now that I’m solidly middle-aged, I’ve developed some memory loss too.

So I’ve learned to compensate for these weaknesses by talking fast. This enables me to not forget what’s in my head this instant, and two seconds later, when I’ve already moved on to something completely unrelated, I’m hoping others are distracted along with me.

In my opinion, big dangly earrings make women look younger and energetic. Most people are too busy looking at the gaudy earrings to notice my wrinkles ;-) Plus they make me look animated! Ok, this probably won’t work when I’m 80, but for now it’s a cheaper, safer alternative to a face-lift!

The point I’m trying to make is this: Although our flaws become concentrated with age, sometimes a little humor and a confident attitude go a long way in helping us and others adapt. I know I’ve quoted some famous theologians and philosophers in previous posts. This time, I’d like to end with a quote from a modern day philosopher, Tim Gunn, the mentor from the TV show Project Runway: "Make it work--use what you have on hand to transform your situation."