Billingsley’s Bullets: Why women see better
Women see better because they pay attention to their reading glasses. They clean their glasses more often, and they clean them correctly, with soft soap, water and a soft cloth. For some strange reason, guys don’t pay attention to their glasses and rarely clean them properly. Perhaps guys are just lazier?
• I very rarely notice that my glasses are dirty or cloudy. Monika notices and takes my glasses off me and cleans them properly. I blame my long eyelashes, and she blames me. Trying to convince her I have more important things on my mind doesn’t work!
• When I occasionally notice my glasses are smoky, I rub them with a dry Kleenex, rubbing the smudges around, but never off the glass. Perhaps it is true that women are superior to men!
• While researching Cherokee history and philosophizing to prepare to teach my “Cherokee Philosophy” class, I discovered the idea that we choose our inner world. We should not blame outside sources for the state of our inner world, because we decide if we pay attention or not to outside sources.
• If you do not have peace and happiness in your inner world, then you need to do something about it. Don’t blame your boss, your mother-in-law, or your spouse. Don’t allow outside sources to determine who you are. You are the shot-caller in your life, and you have the power to create a peaceful, happy inner life.
• When outside sources are determining who you are, then you have lost control of your life. When you believe you have no control of your wellbeing, depression is right around the corner. Depression and anger are first cousins. Find out what is depressing you, and you will discover why you are angry.
• People who enjoy inner peace and harmony are less judgmental about people and life in general. They are also more optimistic and have more energy. They also have a lot of fun in their life journey.
• Depression smothers energy. A bad dose of depression makes it hard to even get out of bed. Very depressed people have a “why try” attitude about most things. They are also boring people, and they may take you down with them.
• If someone you know is depressed, tell them what you are observing and ask if there is anything you can do to help eliminate their depression. Ask them the right questions so they can find the answers for themselves.
• Dump depression before everyone around you dumps you.
• For reasons I never quite understand, people do not place “having fun” as a high priority in their lives. Many of the people I know are great at being responsible, helping others and gathering lots of expensive material things. These same people forget how to have fun. Having fun requires a conscious decision to make fun a definite priority in your life.
• The first step towards having fun is to figure out what is fun for you to do. What activities make you laugh or what activities permit you to really relax? When is the last time you enjoyed these fun and relaxing times?
• When is the last time you allowed the child part of you to take over? When someone tells me a column I wrote was childish or immature, I feel like celebrating instead of debating.
• It’s fun to be around people who let their “child” take over sometimes. People who are forever always mature are always boring, too. If you can’t recall the last time you had fun, don’t call me for coffee!
Bob Billingsley is an El Dorado Hills resident and a bi-weekly columnist at the Mountain Democrat.
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