Stop, drop and think of five!

I have a gift for assuming and jumping to conclusions. I am very good at it. This isn't something I am proud of because it can cause a lot of problems. When Blake and I were newlyweds someone gave us a piece of advice that has helped me deal with this weakness of mine. We were told that when someone does something that either hurts our feelings or makes us mad we should think of five reasons why they would have done what they did. Here's an example:

We have a lot of construction on the road we live on. Currently there isn't a turning lane so there are signs everywhere saying that left turns are not allowed. When someone does decide to make a left-hand turn it causes a major traffic jam because our road is very busy. It drives me nuts when I get stuck behind one of these inconsiderate drivers! I get very frustrated and I have been known to honk my horn at them. So here are the five reasons I have come up with why someone would feel they are important enough to have twenty cars waiting behind them:

1. One of the passengers is in labor and if they don't make the left turn the baby will be born in the car.
2. Their car can only make left turns.
3. They have a 2 1/2 year old in the back seat that has been screaming for ten minutes because she dropped her sunglasses on the floor and the only way to stop the madness is to make the left turn so that they can pull over and recover the lost possession.
4. They are almost out of gas and making the left turn will take them to the nearest gas station.
5. There is a chance that they might not have not seen the 1,034 signs all over the road stating that left turns are not permitted.
   

This strategy has helped me give people the benefit of the doubt. It has helped me stay calm and helped me realize that most people aren't trying to upset me on purpose. There usually is a really good explanation for why people do what they do. Plus it is pretty entertaining. You should try it out sometime! It especially works well when your husband leaves dishes in the sink right after you have cleaned the kitchen!