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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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FICKLE FOLK
For about a week, the temperatures were in the upper 80s and lower 90s -- a tough little heat wave without air conditioning. It did cool down a bit at night, but insulated houses held in the heat very efficiently. We would have been cooler sleeping in tents in our yards where the temperature was at least 10 degrees lower. Stores sold out of fans. The air conditioned movie theater became very popular, and the pace of life slowed down noticeably. Then, just as abruptly as the heat had arrived, cooler weather blew in. We had morning fog and clouds, cool breezes, and temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. There were even forecasts which included a 40% chance of rain. Suddenly, the same folks who had grumbled with irritation about the heat wave were complaining about being cold. Furthermore, as much as they knew rain was needed, they were frustrated that the prediction was for rain on the weekend. How inconvenient! Isn't it funny how we humans never seem satisfied, even when we get the very thing we enthusiastically desired only the day before? This phenomenon is not restricted to the weather, either. We can't wait to get a new boss, but then decide that the old boss wasn't so bad after all. We complain about organizations to which we belong, spend a great amount of energy attempting to change them. Then, when the changes don't work out as we thought they would, we complain again. Our partners offer to take on a task that has burdened us, but the end result is less than pleasing. The list could go on and on. As Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." And that's the truth!
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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