What Were You Thinking?

Have you ever heard this question? My answer is always the same.

Most people ask this question when something has gone horridly awry, yet when I hear it most often is during the telling of a story which leads to the result I had envisioned.

How do you think I answer this question? Is it snark? Is it defensive? Is it angry? Truth be told, it is merely blatant honesty:

I was thinking in a way which escapes most.”

I have been many places and done many things which scare the bejesus out of people. Occasionally, these places are impromptu results of others’ actions. To those, my only thinking is to survive to be healthy enough to smack someone in the back of the head for putting me in the position.

Most are of my own design. My thoughts are simple. I have been informed (often) I am the only one who thinks the process is simple.

Non-Drama

I shy from drama which is not performed on a proper stage. No, the telephone, scout meeting and dry cleaners are not a proper stage. To this end, when I ask the question What if…, it is merely to assess and prioritize. To me, it is just that simple.

Assess: The possibilities

Prioritize: The probability

Call it my inner accountant in a happy place. Any given situation has a limited amount of possibilities. The first five you can contrive are often the most likely outcomes. Prioritizing them into a top three of the most likely means a lot less preparation than buying a parka, SCUBA gear and umbrella.

Fear

I do not own it. When I borrow it for a while, I am able to return it before the due date. How? I assess the possibility of the outcomes I fear and prioritize the probability the worst case scenario will materialize. Fear abated.

Autistic Children

Shirt available from Bearman Cartoons. Click to view store.

100%?

I would be lying if I told you nothing frightful ever happens. My children, who do not think like anyone else at all, can contrive possibilities I calculate on an infinitesimally small probability. Who would have guessed Man Cub would leave our hotel, strip nude and waltz into IHOP for a chocolate milk with a police officer at 0300 on a random Wednesday? Certainly not me.

Mine

When it is only Red to blame for what happens, I know what I was thinking. I have three reasons for everything I do. Incidentally, I want to cannot be one of the reasons. It is fun is often a reason.

  • I want broader horizons.
  • I know I can succeed.
  • I need to feel alive.
  • I want to tell my grandchildren about this.
  • I do not know anyone who has done this.

Those are some common reasons.

Just a little more life.

Red Signature


How do you decide to do something entirely new? What are your three most common reasons?

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12 Comments

  1. What? He went into IHOP and wasn’t wearing my shirt? haha Looks great on him.
    Bearman recently posted..Is there a Correlation between Social Media Followers and Website Pageviews?My Profile

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    • They have gotten more mileage out of those shirts. When one of them has one on, the other one will change clothes to match.

      Reply
  2. Sigh. Sometimes we don’t think at all, I’m certain. Reflex, reaction, retort just fly out without thought. I confess I have reacted when I mind was someplace else and the outcome led to the question, “What were you thinking?”

    Of course, I was much younger then and always in some kind of trouble. :/
    Tess recently posted..Beijing Part 5, Day 3 (cont’d and finished)My Profile

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    • That sort of trouble often brings wisdom, so it is often a fair trade off because it is a one-time affair. 😉 Great to see you, Tess. xxx

      Reply
  3. I don’t think like a lot of people, either. That’s their problem, not mine.
    Binky recently posted..The Power of Wine GumsMy Profile

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  4. It made sense at the time, is always best when answering police.
    Valentine Logar recently posted..ChooseMy Profile

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  5. Gray Dawster

     /  June 28, 2014

    I must admit to always thinking of the different scenarios of things before I do them, it is a kind of failsafe in case things do not go as planned, and that can happen to anyone at any time so it is best to be ready for anything.

    I guess that we cannot think of everything that can go wrong, but being prepared is half the battle
    and it works for me personally so forward thinking can never be wrong.

    I like this posting Red 🙂

    Andro xxxx

    Reply
    • That is where I am when I am supplying A and B for myself. I know many who do just that. It is the rule of the 7 Ps. 🙂 xxx

      Reply
  6. I’m buck naked!!! What a hoot. You gotta laugh (later).

    I do believe the purpose of life is to have fun. Otherwise there’s no point.

    And life is ALWAYS now. No point in living in the past and worry about the future is silly because there’s no such thing (except in our own mind). Ah, too much thinking going on here. Let’s switch to instincts and what feels right. Works for me.

    “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.” — Ray Bradbury
    John McDevitt recently posted..Back to the Horsepistol (again)My Profile

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