Choose Your Focus
I have a tale of two stories. Last night, a man slapped another man because the second man told a joke / or because the second man offended him / or because the second man offended the first man’s wife. It was unforgivable / honorable / to be expected. It got more coverage because they were famous men / because they were black men.
That’s one story.
I went to a McDonald’s drive thru window to get some iced coffee and when I handed over my money, the young lady was humming something that I thought I recognized. “Okay, I said, what song is stuck in your head right now?”
“We don’t talk about Bruno,” she said, blushing a little. I said, “That song shot past “Let it Go” as Disney’s most popular song ever. Millions of people are probably humming it right now.”
“Yeah, but I wish that I was humming ‘Surface Pressure,’ because I have such a crush on Louisa!” She paused. I said, “Who doesn’t? She’s the best one!” “And in that part of the movie she’s taking care of all those cute baby donkeys!” In this moment, the girl made this squeal of delight and flapped her hands up and down (a visual that a lot of us parents might recognize).
“And did you know that they sold out of the Luisa toy super fast because they didn’t make nearly enough and that they still have a surplus of Isabela, and of course we’re going to want Louisa because she’s a strong female character and we never get those!”
“You’re so right!” I said back. “Everyone says they couldn’t have predicted it, but you and I know that Luisa was the best character by a long shot!”
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“Yes! Oh, uh, have a good day.”
You Can Choose a Story
I read about the two men. I experienced the utter joy of the cashier at McDonalds. I can choose which one to think about today in my down time and in between tasks. You can, too. Or you can go make a story with someone else.
It’s your brain. You get to pick where you point it. I’m going to think about the flapping glee of the cashier talking with me about her crush on Luisa.
And here’s Luisa’s song. You’ll dig that, too.
New Book: Hope Is the First Dose
2 年This is excellent Chris. Good job!
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2 年So true Chris Brogan the chocolate ve is ours. Why I enjoy having random conversations with people I meet~ more often than not there are things in common if we just spent the time to visit. I could visualize the happiness of the young woman as you described her reaction! McDonald's should be proud of her ability and willingness to be herself and connect with you!
Business Growth & Thought Leader Strategist | Workplace Culture Consultant | Author | Speaker | Tracking Wonder Podcast Host
2 年I love how you beautifully channeled my internal response this morning when I heard about the first story. And I love the way you connect. Luisa rocks. You, too.
Career Contrarian | Coaching, Advising & Writing About How Professional Value Trumps Skills | Ex-pat living in Ajijic, MX | Aspiring novelist
2 年Well, I have no idea of what you're talking about. ?? The geezer in me knows nothing about current Disney fare. My frame of reference ended with Ariel. I do know about "The Slap" from reading the news, not watching the event live. For many of us, our information sources funnel The Slap vs. the Disney tune. And The Slap seems at the top of an accumulation of daily negative stories (war, inflation, men behaving badly during senate hearings, expanding anti-LGBTQ legislation, and felonious 71-year old pickleball rec center defacers). This onslaught of negative fare makes it damn difficult to focus on anything positive. It's important for our brains to pay attention to the often small experiences that bring a (brief) smile. It's the accumulation of those smiles that can get us through our day.
Lawyer & Journalist— Writes "Uncensored Objection" (commentary on breaking political news) substack.com/@mitchthelawyer
2 年Yep.