Does Size Matter?
Bigger is better. Isn't that the American dream? Why buy a road-hogging, critter-squishing, bumper-defying, wall-of-metal SUV when you have the delicious option of buying a BIGGER road-hogging, critter-squishing, bumper-defying, wall-of-metal SUV? Why settle for a puny three-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow of our parents' generation nestled comfortably on a green plot of land with a few nice shade trees? In new "developments" these days, you can choose a two-storey home bulging beyond the property line of today's incredible shrinking lots, complete with a bedroom that can sleep 34 PLUS a walk-in closet that sleeps another 20 AND an ensuite bathroom big enough to store your SUV when your 300-cubit-long garage is full of toys or tools. (That's one arc-full, in case you didn't know.) I remember early in primary school how the teachers made us line up according to height before we could go into the school. I suppose it was a measure of our universally exemplary behavior that I had plenty of time to daydream in line while some of the more spirited children were rounded up by the sheep dogs. My line-up thoughts often turned to dissecting school rules in hopes of finding intelligent life in them. Although my futile quest never succeeded, all was not lost. As one of the shorter kids in my class, I developed a theoretic framework for the "lining up by height" rule. That framework took the form of three questions: If size does not matter, why were we being sorted by height?If size does matter, what do the teachers have against us shorter kids, making a daily display of the height we lacked?If big is better, why were the shorter kids given the front seats with the better view?Although the answers to those questions remain a mystery to this day, I am convinced that size does not matter (except when someone offers me a slice of cheesecake ? yum!). My wife and I witnessed an awesome display of aviation the other day. Two hawks were flying around across the street, swooping right over us at times. They were trying to establish a new nest. Usually, hawks fly somewhere "up there", distant silhouettes against the blinding brightness of the sky. But on this occasion, they were flying low enough for us to make out the colors beneath their wings: the deep, dark brown and the sandy tan feathers. And low enough to see the colors of the little birds (sparrows, perhaps?) giving chase. It was an even match, or so it seemed. Two sparrows versus two hawks. OK, perhaps not completely even. Each hawk looked big enough to gulp down a sparrow in a single chomp, like a person might swallow a grape. Come to think of it, this match did not look any more even than if I had been placed in a ring with a well-fed sumo wrestler. Yet there they were, two big hawks, graceful and majestic, the scourge of field mice everywhere, managing impossible maneuvers to evade the slightest touch of the tiny sparrows. Why? Because sparrows are more agile than hawks, and can more easily position themselves for attack. Because sparrows are less fragile than hawks, and do not fear feather damage to the same degree. Because sparrows are quicker than hawks, so they can more easily retreat if they have to. Sadly for the hawks, their size was of little comfort against the superior skills of the sparrows. And sadly for us, it appears we will NOT be watching the comings and goings of hawks nesting across the street. Does size matter? No. But if you want to make that slice of cheesecake just a bit bigger, I would be much obliged. About The Author David Leonhardt is The Happy Guy. Read more articles like this at: http://TheHappyGuy.com/self-actualization-articles.html. Or sign up for the free online Happy Class at: http://TheHappyGuy.com/self-actualization-happy-class.html info@thehappyguy.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Listening Is As Important As Speaking
While engaging in conversations with friends and
co-workers, how often do you feel that the other person has
truly heard what you've said?
Law of Attraction and Dreams, Premonitions or Predictions
Recently, I received an interesting email in which a woman told me that when she was 10 years old, she was shown in a dream how one day she would have a son and he would die at a certain age in a specific fashion. She also reported that this did, in fact, occur. Her question to me was, "How can I believe the Law of Attraction is working when some things seem beyond our control?"
The Beast
What does one do when one is too old, too weak, and feels powerless and regretful? What does one do when one looks back at his life and sees nothing that was worth living for? What does one do when one sees the future coming to an end ? the end of a journey? "The journey was not mine," said the old man. "What was that about? Why was I here? What was I suppose to do? Where am I going and will I ever come back? Come back to what, to whom and for what purpose?"
Character or Reputation
Character or Reputation. When we see these two words together, we often mistakenly believe that you cannot have one without the other.
Achieving Your Vision of Abundance
How can we have more abundance in our lives? It begins by noticing the abundance that we already have.
Our Fascination with Pop Culture and What It Says About Us
I took a look at the top 500 hits on the Internet and found that at least 90% of them are related to pop culture. Who is dating who, singers, actors, gossip, etc. Why are we so fascinated with these larger than life stars? Why do we care?
The Clich of Balance
The world we are living in is changing at a fast pace. Never before in the history of mankind that change was so enormous and rapid. This roller coaster ride of change is affecting every aspect of our lives. From relationship to work, from the pursuit of happiness to the quest for spirituality. Some authors have called it a Future Shock, others have called it Mega Trends, but whatever the tag you give, it is there.
The Self Appreciation Enhancer
Very often when you are talking to people what you really want
deep down is to feel significant, liked and important.
Consequently you watch what you are saying and are careful not to
say the wrong thing. This in turn can mean that the way you
express yourself is stifled and constricted.
Better Tame The Bull, Or, Youll Eat The Crow!
A man can stand a lot? as long as he can stand himself. Success is never Final and Failure is never fatal. Only failure to get back up is. The bull is lying to you and leading you down the trail of the pied-piper.
Who Do You Think You Are?
Are you totally in love with your life?
The Power of Focusing on What Vs. How
We see it and do it enough times to know just how it works. Resolutions are set, goals written down, strategic action plans put in place. And where does it end up? More often than not, we don't lose the weight, we don't keep the budget, we don't straighten out the relationship ? whatever it is we were after, frustration or despair get in the way and we end up at square one.
Feeding
The purpose of human existence is to send out impulses to influence the environment and people where one exists, and feed upon what is received in return. This is growth, and this is where we grasp our identification and validation. What is the measure of what one feeds upon? It is one's expanding essence of existence. And what crop is one growing? Who are you feeding? The foods you eat influence what you eventually constitutionally become. Who are you creating? And most importantly, who is creating you?
Attract Your Ideal Relationship Using the Law of Attraction
First, I'll need to explain what Law of Attraction is and how it works. You see, the Law of Attraction states that you'll attract to your life whatever you give your attention, energy and focus to, whether wanted or unwanted--emphasis on the unwanted. The "vibes" that you put out (also called vibrations) are either negative vibes or positive vibes, and at every moment, the Law of Attraction is responding to the vibes you are offering by giving you more of the same, whether wanted or unwanted.
How to Start a Conversation Effortlessly
The ability to converse effortlessly with those you
encounter is a critical component of all your personal and
business relationships.
Appreciating and Communicating Your Value
It's a common scenario. Although the specific circumstances may differ, the challenge often remains the same: we professional women seldom understand our true value. Perhaps it's because we continue to be paid, on average, less than men to only then have to prove ourselves by doing more. Or, perhaps it's because we've been taught from our earliest years to value the humble individual--the Mother Theresa who gives, but never takes.
You Cant Direct the Wind but You Can Adjust the Sails
Dear Friend,
What Goes Around, Comes Around
Wise Hericlitus
"You cannot step into the same river twice"
Change How You Say It, Change Your Attractiveness
Language, whether it's emerging from our mind, our heart, or
our lips, says a lot about ourselves. It tells others what
state we're in at the time, actually where we are in our
life, as well as how we dress our self, our body and our
soul. It also tells us what we will do now, what we did in
the past, and what we will do in the future. Yet, we are so
comfortable with our own voice and too busy to hear its
voice that negative expressions escape constantly. Does
what you say and how you say it count? U-betcha.
Bad Luck ... Or Blessing In Disguise?
There was a woman who was in such a hurry to go to the airport.She told the cab driver to step on it. She was so engrossedwith her own thoughts that she was not aware they were going on a different route.
|
