Turkeys

There are turkeys living in my neighborhood. Yes, real ones -- the birds.

As I drove to work today, the tom decided to cross the street in front of me. I slowed and let him pass. Since the car windows were down, I "encouraged" him to speed up, and he did. I thanked him and we continued on our ways.

That made me think: how do I deal with the people who are turkeys in my life?

My first response is to try to avoid them as much as possible. Of course, avoiding an issue doesn't really remove it from my life. It just adds to the pile of things I carry around in the back of my mind. And all of the things I'm subconsciously dealing with distract me from the projects I truly want to do.

So, how to deal with turkeys?

It may take some time to figure out why they are a turkey. If I really stop and think only about it, I may realize it was a simple misunderstanding. At that point my problem is resolved and I can move on.

It may be that they truly are unhappy people who want everyone else to join them in the gloom and doom club. In that case, it really is better to avoid them as much as possible.

As is often the case, they are probably nice people who don't see the world the way I do and I need to agree to disagree and look for all of the things we do have in common.

So, the next time a turkey crosses my path, I'll look for the common ground rather than the differences -- and continue on my way.