Friday, June 16, 2006

the water is cold

The bathtub is HUGE! There is even a seat built-in for your sitting pleasure. And two of my co-workers here in the former Yugoslavia have these mega tubs! I always enjoy the feeeling of luxury that comes when washing with this much real estate availible :-) But I noticed that Heidi wasn't enjoying the nice bath at all. When I asked her why not, she told me that the water was cold! I said, "What are you talking about?" "There is tons of hot water!"

Then I remembered that the valve for choosing the water temprature was backwards. When it said you should have been getting hot, you were actually getting cold. So Heidi assumed that there was not hot water availible . . . that I, her tender loving dad had used it all up and left her none at all! I was injured!

But more seriously, my assumptions about people frame my attitude all the time. I percieve that they have intended me harm with their actions, when many times I later discover that not only was no harm intended, but that I had completely misunderstood what had happened around me. I am not very smart sometimes . . . but from now on I am planning to check both sides/perspectives of an event before I assume there is no hot water.

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