3 lessons from Friday socks on a Friday!!

Inspiration, positivity and insight can arrive at your feet from any direction.

This morning inspiration came from a cleaner who was picking up several plastic bottles that were left lying around in the street. He had overdone it a bit with his understanding of the capacity of his hands. One too many empty plastic bottles, and as one slipped from his grip, he had some options. Let it fall to the street and get it on the next turn, attempt to catch it and put the lot at risk as he could have dropped more or even let it fall and kick it along the street towards his waiting rubbish cart and deal with at that point.

What he did do surprised me to the point I whispered under my breath as if I had just seen what I just saw.

The bottle slipped from his grasp, and as it was falling to the ground, he kicked it, a volley like nudge, and the empty plastic bottle landed directly in his rubbish cart. What a save. It was a nonchalant move that had every inch of Cantona about t. The cleaner, my newfound hero, did not even bat an eyelid as he dumped the rest of the bottles into the cart. 

Damn, the sights you see when you don’t have your camera at the ready.

The save was a cool as feck move, and it inspired me to always address problems with a bit of flair, even if you have to do it with a little kick.

My morning energy boost landed on my lap as I took my seat at my usual coffee shop of choice before I started work. I ordered my coffee, sat at my normal area, opened the laptop, hunched over and got busy…

…and then I got interrupted by a happy dog. I am not a big fan of dogs, probably because I was terrorised by my neighbour’s horrible mutt as when I was a small kid. These things leave a mark.

‘I see you here every morning. What is it you do? Do you work around here?’ Said the dogs owner.

I answered the question politely and tentatively patted the dog. I was hoping to get on with some work.

‘He likes you. You must be a kind person as he is choosy about who he talks to.’

I thought it is a dog, he doesn’t talk… but anyway!!

The conversation developed from here, and it was a jovial and interesting conversation. The owner took his coffee and wished me every success, and the dogs tail battered my leg as it became clear that we were ending our impromptu meeting. I turned back to my laptop to continue my work, but the moment had passed, and my mood was different. Happy, buoyant and calm. Some things in life are essential, like life itself.

The conversation made me realise that the best form of energy is kindness, dialogue and positive human contact. The power of positive language can transform the energy in any room or situation.

The insight came from a comment from my Son the night before. I was pondering his words on the walk into my work that very same morning. We were coming to terms with a rather frustrating driving test situation where things were repeatedly cancelled due to an ever-changing covid situation and the over bureaucratic nature of one tough administrator. I explained to my Son that we just need to be calm and deal with what we can. 

My Son said that the administrator was a Friday socks on a Friday guy. I wasn’t sure what he meant, so I asked him to explain.

‘Basically, Dad, there are three types of people. The people who wear Friday socks on a Friday, the people who wear Friday socks on a Wednesday, and the crazies who wear a Tuesday and a Thursday sock on a Friday. I like the crazies, and I am not so good with the Friday socks on a Friday, people.

I laughed and got it. In teenage logic, this is very insightful. I love it, and on the way into work, I was massaging it into my deep recall memory so I could spring it out at some point in the future.

My take away from this comment is that some people are just ‘Friday socks on a Friday kinda people’ and to accept that. But surround yourself with the type of people that get the best out of you.

Oh, and one other thing, there are always the extremes in life, like the guy with the mismatching socks that are inside-out. 

Yikes!!

Avoid these people as they have no rules in life.

---