Thumb Dents Make Lasting Impressions

Lucky me, I have two thumb dents. One is on me, and the other is caused by me. In reality, I have many dents/impacts; my focus here is on the ones related to my thumb.

The first (most noticeable to me) is at the end of my left thumb. This ‘dent’ was created during a recent incident involving a spinning saw blade and removal of part of the end of the thumb. The result is a dent in the thumb.

I am happy to report (drum roll please), my thumb has now healed, and the scar is simply a dent staring at me from the left side of the end of the thumb. The nerves responsible for the feelings in my thumb are not all back to normal, but at least I can use it now. For six weeks, my poor damaged digit was encased in a plastic splint covering the bandages. Here is the rest of that story.

I am tall and slender, and I dislike cold weather. In Central Virginia’s cold-winter weather, I wear a black-felt Stetson hat. I have two of them, one for work and one for dress. The work hat has no hatband and has a noticeable dent on the right front. It also has man glitter (saw dust) on it most of the time because I use several power tools to plane lumber. I chopped down 124’ oak tree on my property (we live in the woods) and I am now cutting out lumber to build a variety of home-related projects. The power tools produce massive sawdust and chips.

When grabbing the hat to remove it, I grasp the front top of it with my thumb and forefinger, and my thumb makes an impact in my Stetson. My forefinger also does, but the thumb dent is more prominent. Work hat gets washed about once a year, brushed occasionally yet dusted often. The dent stays put. It is a reminder of how I handle my hat. It demonstrates how I interact with the hat.

The dress hat has a hatband, a beautiful feather piece, and a slight indentation on both sides of the front. The original indents are still there and are in the same place as the work hat does not become distorted by use. The dress hat gets brushed as needed and has never needed washing.

I tell you that to tell you this. Our actions make an impact. Some impacts on things we wear, and the others are carried by people and objects we come in contact with in our lives.

Those you carry are reminders of the defining incidents and keep the memories fresh long enough to keep you aware and safer. They act in keeping you intact, smarter and aware. They made a lasting impression on you, even if you no longer think about them.

Incoming dents have a range of effects. Experiences such as an enjoyable meal with a good friend, admiring a piece of art, or a traffic accident. These incidents create living memories. Their influence on you at the moment shapes who you are and how you go through life.

A relevant incident follows that created a living memory; My wife, Phyllis, and I made our annual batch of Christmas Stewed Apples and filled ten large deli- containers with the delicious apples. We put a ribbon on the lid, put a beautiful label on them, loaded them in a box and placed the box on a red trolley and began our Santa project to deliver the gifts to our neighbors. Each of our neighbors have a couple of acres on small ‘ranches’ so our walk was a long one. The weather was perfect, warm with clear skies. We remarked several times how lucky we were that we chose Sunday to deliver the gifts because cold icy rains were coming today (Monday morning.). We will long remember our day together on our walk as we delivered the small token gift to our neighbors.

Your outgoing dents are what you say or do to others, be they a compliment, encouragement or a snub. Their effect is something you cannot control and they define how the world sees and interacts with you.

Dents have power. Learn from them. Use them carefully and think about their influence on you and others. Be generous with the positive deeds and words. Consider with care any designed to harm or distract others.

For more suggestions on influencing others and leveraging your resources, consider contacting me or looking at https://mycoach.com for more ideas.

I am a Senior Level Master Coach and Certified Hypnotist with over 30 years of helping corporate clients. Reserve your free twenty-minute Zoom call with me, and your life will never be the same.

Colle Davis

804-467-1536. [email protected]

Meantime stay safe and have fun.