Simmering

What is it about low expectations that allows a person to cheat everyone around him/her? Is a lifetime of excuses and laziness the rationale used for current digressions? Is it okay for a parent to say to the fed-up siblings, "...look, it's always been this way. Why do you expect more? He/she is trying his/her best." At what point are the siblings able to say, "I CALL BULLSHIT!" without hurting the parents? Is there ever a right time?

Obviously, by the time a person has reached 30+ years on this earth, his/her character is pretty well forged. It would take a lot of self discipline and desire to change - for the better or worse. But if the bar has always been set at 3, why try for 10? or 7? or even 5? If the minimum effort is acceptable, even embraced, why do more? Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about how "trying" is good enough. What ever happened to just "do it" and grow a spine, set of balls or sense of responsibility? Why is it okay to excuse behavior in some while finding the same behavior in others lacking?

Case in point. Take out the trash. Good. Now logic would mean that if you REMOVE the trash bag you should REPLACE it with a new one, right? Apparently, not always. It's good that the trash was even remembered - that is a victory for the team!! How's that for accepting a mediocre performance and applauding it? I don't think so. Take the last bottle of cold water? Well, replace it and while you're at it, put some more in there for the rest of us. It's called shared responsibility. We could all use a lesson in it with everything that's going on around us today.

Another point - thanks for washing your dishes; now how about putting them away? Did you enjoy the food I provided for you? How about leaving some for me? Yea, I know. I sound pissy...it's because I am. I'm tired of being sensitive about certain issues. I'm getting too old to tiptoe around other people's feelings when it's obvious there's a problem which no one wants to address. Hello. You see that elephant standing in front of you? Acknowledge it. Don't put a dress on it and call it your Auntie Helen! There's no way to make it pretty. Sigh. I'm probably not making sense.

I started this post late last night and I'm finishing it up tonight. I thought perhaps cooling down might make me see things less emotionally. Funny, sleeping on it for 24 hours has actually made more sense for me since the reasons why I wrote this post haven't changed overnight either.