You Have a Banana in Your Ear

I once saw a story acted out with puppets:

Puppet 1: “Excuse me, did you know you have a banana in your ear?”
Puppet 2: “What?”
Puppet 1: (A bit louder) “You have a banana in your ear!”
Puppet 2: “What?”
Puppet 1: (Much louder) “YOU HAVE A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!”
Puppet 2: “What? I can’t hear you…I have a banana in my ear!”

It reminded me of another incident recently.

One of my team-members, who constantly has me in stitches, (the good kind), confronted the rest of our team one morning via email.
She was “mad” that not a single one of us had told her about the seed from her breakfast bagel that was lodged in her teeth. We were being accused of sitting through a 60-minute team meeting with her, and NOT mentioning the GINORMOUS object that was protruding from her smile.

We all laughed, swearing (the good kind) that we hadn’t noticed it!

As a matter of chat…

Is there a banana in my ear? Is there something in my teeth? Do I want to know? Are there things in my life that are hindering me? Am I aware of them, but acting as if they’re no big deal? Are there people in my life who are willing to point these things out to me? Am I willing to listen?

SOMEONE Take My Order Please

I was recently told of a dear, older woman who went to a local convenience store for some lunch. This particular store, as most around these parts, was equipped with touch-screen monitors for ordering food. Unfortunately, she was looking for a traditional “deli” experience.

She waited patiently by the counter, not even noticing the screens, for someone to “take her order”. After the workers behind the counter rudely ignored her for several minutes, she eventually got their attention and asked what the deal was!

They explained that she needed to place her order on the screens, but gave her no further assistance.

She eventually figured out how to order her ham sandwich, but I don’t think she’ll be returning to that place!

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly technology is replacing people.

As a matter of chat…

Are there some roles that humans play that will never be replaced by technology? What are they? Is there a demand for me? Or am I replaceable? Do I avoid interaction with people in a quest for convenience? Am I missing opportunities?

How Far is TOO Far?

We were traveling home from a youth conference this summer, with roughly 70 students and adult volunteers. Our first stop was at a McDonald's off of I-70 in Ohio. As anticipated, there were long lines for both the male and female restrooms, but the men's line was moving much more quickly (insert gasp).

Turns out, there were three toilets in the women's restroom, but only two were, uh, err, hmmm...functioning properly. The third was clogged by what I'm told was "just toilet paper".

Knowing that the jammed commode was going to cause our stop to be longer than desired, one of our faithful volunteers went WAY beyond the call of duty, plunged her hand down into the water, pulled the blockage out, and left out a "hooray" as the toilet suddenly flushed properly! (My stomach STILL turns just thinking about it)!

As a matter of chat...

How far am I willing to go in the name of serving others? Am I willing to be inconvenienced? Am I willing to get dirty? How much am I willing to sacrifice?

It's Personal

I've been talking about this whole blog thing for a long time. I guess it's here. I suppose most people have a grand "purpose" for their blog. I don't. I'm just posting thoughts: starting a conversation,"as a matter of chat". Welcome!