Well That's Fantastic!

One of my colleagues shared a hilarious story of his 85-year old mother's recent text.  When his son made a great tackle, the family immediately shared a photo with Nana, who was far away.  Nana's quick text response "WTF" alarmed the family, as they knew that this June Cleaver-like woman had no idea of the contemporary understanding of these three letters. 

He was eager to keep her from sharing this text messaging with anyone else before he could have a conversation to explain what was conveyed, and understand what was intended.  When asked what she meant, she excitedly said, "Well That's Fantastic!".

What we mean and what others interpret are often quite different.  Great communication requires checking for common understanding.

Sometimes a 2 and a 10 are the Same

When playing Hearts it doesn't matter if you catch a 2 or a 10.  Both cards are worth one point. Bigger isn't always better.  It doesn't matter if we get to school or work 2 minutes or 10 minutes before we're expected.  We're on time.  And it doesn't matter if we are 2 minutes or 10 minutes past starting time.  We're late.  It doesn't matter if we get 2 or 10 college acceptances or job offers.  We can only accept one choice that is right for us.

In our competitive society, it helps to know when a 2 and a 10 are the same.

Broken

Words, like jobs or relationships, without context, aren't good or bad.  However, if "broken" were presented for an assessment, I'll bet it would get a high negative rating.  We may think of broken dishes, bones or promises.  But it is good when bad habits, fasts and wild horses are broken.