Whiplash: An injury to the neck caused by an abrupt jerking motion of the head, either backward or forward; And in the case of writing or speaking, can be caused by a rapid change of topic without prior notice.
Whiplash! – “Y” can’t he stick to one topic!
It’s been said, “Don’t dwell on the past; Don’t worry about the future; Live in the Present.” Cute, but not the way I want to think about life. I believe that you should cherish your 
yesterdays. They are what made you who you are. From them, you have learned the ways of the world and built the knowledge base that was necessary to “Live in the present”. If you only live in the present, you risk doing the same errors you’ve already made that gave you useable knowledge. (Check out some more of my thoughts on mistakes in last year’s and this year’s A to Z Blogs: 2018 “M” Mistakes…I hate them!, 2019 Whiplash! “M” ) Yesterdays are important.
As to, don’t worry about the future, sometimes a little worry helps direct you in what you need to pursue today. Even if it’s not worrying, thinking about the future and its potential and the goals you seek for yourself, makes a better you, today. The future provides you with direction.
So yesterday, today, and tomorrow are not separate entities that you should only focus on one at a time. They are a flowing river that you exist in. They are who you are. Make sure you live in them all.
Whiplash!
Why is it that so many drivers on the road, when they see a sign that says “Yield” choose to read it as “Merge”. Every time I drive to my local hig
h school I pass the exit ramp of a parkway that ends just before the high school entrance. The sign on exiting the parkway clearly says “Yield”, yet if you are on the road that those parkway cars are yielding from, you better be prepared for them not to give you any right of way. They just pull in right in front of you at highway speeds. These are accidents looking for a place to happen.
Whiplash!
I AM NOT WHAT YOU WOULD CONSIDER A YELLER. Sorry about that. If you ever find me yelling, it is either because someone can’t hear what I’m saying (a noisy crowded restaurant, or at a sporting event where the home team just scored) or I am completely frustrated and whatever was done in my presence sent me over the edge. You should note that that rarely happens and if it does, I’m usually quick to realize it and stop yelling, or I was aware of it from the start and was yelling on purpose for effect (sometimes in a classroom of rowdy students who are ignoring you).
Needless to say, I’m not a great fan of yelling. I find that doing the opposite can be more effective than yelling. A number of people have commented to me that they get very frustrated when they’re angry, want to have a shouting match with me and I speak calmly. Yelling at each other would release a lot of their anger, and I don’t give them that opportunity. I don’t necessarily do that to frustrate them; I just don’t like to yell. For that matter, I don’t particularly care to be yelled at either.
Whiplash!
So where do you live? In the past, present or future? How do you react to those drivers that think they own the road and don’t yield the right of way to you? What makes you yell? And if you don’t yell, what do you do to release your anger when you are in strong disagreement with someone?
Next up, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… “Z” END! Finally some peace.
