From The Storyteller

July 24, 2017, Tooth Paste

As a kid growing up, tooth paste commercials always made me feel inadequate. I would watch as the people on TV would squeeze the tube and a quarter inch of tooth paste, with a beautiful twist at the end would sit perfectly on the tooth brush. I would attempt this feat daily and never succeed. The Brylcreem hair cream commercials made me feel uncomfortable also. I was promised a little dab would drive the girls wild – it never worked.

During those formative years I also thought guys who worked in gas stations had it made. They had money, drove cool cars, smoked cigarettes, and could down a quart of beer in one long swallow. I worked in a gas station (age 20). Again, my reality failed to match those high standards. I never had much money, drove an old station wagon, didn’t like smoking cigarettes, and found that just two beers gave me a headache. I might add that my Big Mac never looked like the picture.

Life lesson - There are businesses and people that exaggerate. Knowing this brought me to make a life style choice. I could either be cynical and wary of everyone I meet because some of them really are “exaggerators” - or trust that most folks want to do the right thing and are basically honest.

My choice - To give those I encounter the benefit of the doubt, and for the most part I have not been disappointed. My experience – there are really great people right outside my door. They are often busy and focused, but when given a chance their good quickly shines through.
 
Moral – What you expect of the people you meet on a daily basis - is most often what you get.