Adage - a saying that sets forth...

a general truth and has gained credit through long use.

There are a whole bunch of adages based on that definition:

"A rolling stone gathers no moss"
"A stitch in time saves nine"
"In wine there is truth" (In Vino Veritas)

And the one I was having a conversation about today, which is "think before you act".

I'm proposing an alteration to that adage.  Not to replace it, but in addition to.  "Feel before you act."  All too often we think before we act but what we don't do before acting is examine how we feel.  This is particularly true when we're engaging in a behavior that is in response to a strong, negative feeling.  Some of us eat those feelings.  Others shop them away.  There are probably a large number of responses that people engage in because they have experienced a negative feeling and then they engage in what has become almost a programmed response.

I have been eating my feelings for a long time.  There was a time when I would surf the web as another way of making those feelings go away, far into the night when I had two jobs to go to the next day.  I gave up sleep and damaged my health greatly by not feeling before I acted.  So rather than waiting until the New Year to make a resolution, I'm making one today.  I resolve to feel before I act.  I don't expect to be perfect, or even to do it well at first.  But I'm making a resolution and I will make the effort.



Fun With Classified Ads:

"We paying : minimum salary per hour for beginners so don't expect too much when you come to interview."  If you're paying minimum wage, why would anyone expect much?

"Administrative Assistant - $45k - $50k Plus Paid OT & Bonus"  Would someone be interested if there were unpaid overtime?

"Janitor Needed To Clean a Restaurant" The restaurant part isn't obvious, but other than cleaning, why else would you hire a janitor?

This Date in History:

On this date in 1824, the U.S. Presidential election was referred to the House of Representatives to choose the next president, because no candidate received a majority of electoral college votes.
On this date in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln gave his State of the Union address and reaffirmed the need to end slavery as ordered weeks earlier when he issued the Emancipation Procolamation.
On this date in 1885, the soft drink Dr. Pepper is served for the first time in Waco, TX
On this date in 1913, Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line.
On this date in 1919, Lady Astor became the first female to take her seat in the House of Commons.
On this date in 1941, Japan's Emperor Hirohito approved the initiation of war with the United States.
On this date in 1952, the New York Daily News reported on the sex change surgery of Christine Jorgensen, the first 'sensational' case of sex reassignment surgery.
On this date in 1958, a fire at the Our Lady of the Angels school in Chicago kills three nuns and 92 students.
On this date in 1969, the first draft 'lottery' is held in the U.S. since WWII.
On this date in 1981, AIDS was officially recognized.
On this date in 1988, Benazir Bhutto is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan.

And on this date in 1935, actor/writer/director/producer/musician Woody Allen is born.