"What do you want for Christmas, Doc?" A patient asked me in my office a while ago.
The question caught me unawares. I was just finishing my consult with this young man.
"What do I want for Christmas?" I asked.
"Yes you, Doc. I want to get you something," he said.
"Oh no ... no ... " I started. And then I suddenly realized something. "It's only July, man! And secondly, I should be way, way down on your list."
"I know, I know.... Actually I am moving to Hollywood next month to be an actor. So when I am famous, I want to thank everybody who was kind to me. And that includes you."
I didn't speak for a moment. And not because I was at a loss of words! I took another look at him. Was this misplaced confidence? Or being very, very optimistic. But I just smiled.
"When you are famous, I'll make sure you get my Christmas list," I said.
This guy needs a reality check, I murmured to myself as he walked away.
Realty and reality check are words we hear a lot. These words are used loosely and often. Yet most of us, on more than a few occasions, will choose to ignore reality. Why? The reason, in my personal opinion, is because most of us, as a human race, are eternal optimists. And sometimes to a point that it's like making plans about what to do with lottery winnings, before even buying the lottery ticket.
More than half of social skirmishes that occur in our social fabric would be avoided if everyone kept their expectations realistic. When family and friends don't meet expectations we have of them, hurt and anger ensues. Keeping expectations from others low and real, avoids a lot of heart burn.
Here's a reality check --No matter how much some people pamper you, if you were happier before they came into your life, excuse yourself, keep a respectful distance, and regain your happiness. Insincere and negative people need drama like oxygen -- be sincere, stay positive and take their breath away!
Another reality check -- Most of us believe that everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reason is that we were not smart and made a bad decision. (Tough to swallow, but true!)
Here's one more reality check, courtesy a dear friend (who incidentally shares the same initials as me)-- You order pizza, its delivered in a SQUARE box, you open the box and see a ROUND sumptuous pizza, and when you finally get a piece to eat, its a TRIANGLE! Extrapolating this to life -- Never succumb to appearances, get to know people around you first, and then after the superficial glitz unravels, that's when you really know them!
Final reality check, relative to time --
"One minute can be too long or too short -- depends on which side of the bathroom door you are on!" ~ Bill Maher
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