Sunday, September 30, 2012

Spreading It Around

There was an old woman from Kent
Whose nose was most terribly bent.
One day she chose, to follow her nose
Now nobody knows where she went.

I always get a laugh from this limerick, I can just picture someone making right and left hand turns until they are so completely lost that they have no idea how they got to where they are. Can you follow your nose and stay on the straight and narrow, or can you just as easily get yourself into trouble by doing the same?

What do you think of when you hear the term “Follow Your Nose”? Does it mean to go straight ahead without deviating from the path, or does it fall into the same category as the old “Go with your gut” statement?

Follow your nose to find where that smell is coming from, or look straight ahead and follow your nose to the sign marked “Restrooms” that the store clerk just pointed you toward, if a smell is coming from that restroom then you need to be shopping elsewhere, so make a smart decision and follow your nose to the exit.

Go with your gut; make decisions according to that first feeling you get. If you have a bad feeling then something is definitely wrong, whether you can see it or not your gut has just given you a sign. I bought a car once and the whole time I was test-driving it, arguing the price, shaking the salesman’s hand, and signing the papers, I had a bad feeling.

The deal was so great that I couldn’t pass it up, the car was really nice but to make a long story short, it turned out to be one of the worst deals I had ever made, I got laid off from work a few months later and when I went to sell the car, I found out from a potential buyer that it had been wrecked and repaired before I bought it.

I had the hardest time getting this car sold because of this, the money I lost on it made the great deal I got to begin with not appear so good after all, which brings me to the saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”

If you see a great deal, a fabulous product, something that will make you a whole stack of money, and you can get the secret for the low price of $19.95, then you have just lost $19.95 because the only one making any money is the seller of the secret you just fell for.

The designer drug that makes two bathtubs appear at your home, does no such thing, the towel with no name that is guaranteed to pick up a whole gallon of water without ever dripping will leave your shoes wet, and the fine chopper/shredder that you can slide a potato across invisible blades to make impressive designer potato chips, and fries, will leave you holding a potato.

Invisible blades just won’t work no matter how fast you slide the potato. Your neighbors will peer into your kitchen window and laugh as they watch you rub a blister on your hand trying to make the invisible blades appear.

Don’t you just love neighbors that peer into your windows, we all have had nosey neighbors, and or friends who know more about you than you know about yourself. I smell only trouble coming from people with this type of nose problems.

This reminds me of a neighbor we had when I was a kid, her name was Hazel, she lived directly next door and would always look over the fence and tell Mom the neighborhood gossip, she knew what was going on everywhere, what everyone was doing, and had no problem sharing.

Her unsolicited advice on how you should do this, why you shouldn’t have done that, the correct way to cook, and when all the kids in our household should be spanked, while all of her grandchildren were innocent, and Lord knows any information given to her in confidence really needed to be shared with anyone who would listen.

She would actually stand in her yard and watch us, watch her, watching us through the window, she would repeat her version of conversations she swore came from our house, and tell Mom stories she said came from the other neighbors.

One of her stories told of how Mom was so nosey that she would look through the window and watch Hazels every move, a little bit of this goes a long way when your business is being spread around, and its even worse when the stories are not exactly true.

It all ended with Mom and Hazel standing on the property line nose to nose, Mom had a “Word of prayer” with her so to say, and the last thing I heard coming from Hazels mouth was, “Mind your business, because you are really the one with nose problems”, Mom stormed back to the house and Hazel turned right to follow her nose home, she made a right, then a left hand turn around the back of her house;

And nobody knows where she went.

24 comments:

  1. "Someday someone will bet you good money that he can make a little man jump outta his pocket and squirt orange juice in your ear. What ever you do, do not take that bet, if you do I guarantee you'll be left with an ear full of orange juice"

    "Guys and Dolls"

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    1. Yes Sir Joe, I see a lot of folks getting an ear full :^)

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  2. Very interesting read Jimmy!! You have a wonderful way with words:)

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    1. Thank You Bev, I am honored by your kind words.

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  3. I agree with Bev: you do have a wonderful way with words and this post was a fun read. Nicely done.

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    1. I do appreciate you Stephen, I am proud you enjoyed it.

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  4. LOVE the story of your Mom and Hazel!

    Funny you posted this tonight because I was talking to another employee at work today, discussing the first impressions we get, and how those impressions are usually ALWAYS the right impressions.

    I'm a bit "gut follower." I will always follow my intuition, whether it's about a situation or meeting someone for the first time. I know many people feel I'm judgmental in the way I can look at someone and just KNOW that I don't want to be around them because of their energy. But the times I've gone against that feeling, were also the times I discovered that I was right. I can even feel "vibes" visiting someone's blog for the first time; knowing whether or not I wish to continue visiting them.

    Grrrrrrrrreat post, Jimmy!

    Hi to Miss Cindy!

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    1. Hey Ron, I have learned over the years to follow my gut more than I did when I was younger, this comes in handy in any situation as you pointed out, and just paying attention helps you decide the right path for you.

      Thank You Buddy
      Cindy says Hi

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  5. I follow my gut and my nose... unfortunately, both are ALWAYS ahead of me!

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    1. Hey Ms. A, I try to do the same as the older I get the easier they are to follow Ha Ha

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  6. Wasn't there a Fruit Loops commercial with that toucan about following your nose because it always knows? I loved that ditty. I can smell things a mile away and let me tell you, it's not much of a gift at times!

    Gotta love a nosy neighbor!

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    1. Hey Bijoux, Yes Toucan Sam said something like Follow my nose it always knows, I haven't thought about that commercial in a while :)

      I understand how that gift would be a problem at times but when something needs sniffed out then it's a blessing.

      I am sure we all could do a series on nosy neighbors Ha Ha

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  7. Great post,Jimmy.

    It took me years to realise that my first instinct/impression was right. I used to hover between Yes and No but eventually I cottoned on that No was negative (or unsure) and Yes was positive, which actually meant positively right.

    When I was a timid youngster a neighbour always reported everything I did to my mom. Because of that I had more good hidings than I deserved... honest!

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    1. Thank You Valerie, It sometimes takes a while for us to realize that following our instincts is usually the way to go, once we hesitate and over think something usually sends us in the wrong direction, this has been my experience anyway.

      Yes I remember getting into trouble more from the reports from the neighbors than actually doing something wrong.

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  8. haha..enjoyed this post.
    yep...following our gut sometimes means thinking...do you know anyone that thinks?

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    1. Very good point, thinking is something we rarely do anymore, over thinking is something I have a problem with Ha ha

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  9. I'm a researcher, a thinker, analyzer. For example, I might research the purchase of a car for months, even years. And then, when my facts and data confirm my gut feeling, I go in for the kill.

    This has served me well with cars - we're always happy with them, for a long time. However, other purchases have been put off for so long that by the time I'm ready to buy, the item is no longer available or on sale for the price I want to pay. My husband quite likes this, because this strategy has worked well for our check book.

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    1. With the price of cars now it is definitely smart to do your research and not jump the gun so to say, as you said this works well and you are more apt to be happy with your purchase.

      Now for the other items I must do the same because I fell like no matter what I go to buy it is no longer there :)

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  10. I grew up with Bloodhounds. We had many trail runs, to hide from them, but their nose knew the way to go every time. Lol! Oh the Hazels of the world sure make their business a pricey one. Too funny and very well-told Jimmy. :-)

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    1. Lordy Angelia, I can see you trying to hide from the bloodhounds, I know this didn't work well Ha Ha

      It's probably a good thing we didn't have one as Hazel would have had the whole bunch from animal control out there :)

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  11. I loved the limerick (never heard it before) and especially love how you tied it all together to make this such a fun post. Well done, grasshopper. (HA!)

    I guess I'm more of a gut-follower than a nose-follower. (Mainly because the gut is so much larger, it's easier to see.)

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    1. Hey Susan, I thank you Mam :) I think we all would do better if we learn to trust our gut feelings, I know I have ignored them in the past but like you said, the gut is easier to see now days Ha Ha

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  12. Once I was at a surgeon's office and my gut said "RUN!!!!"

    I didn't. He screwed up the surgery so bad that no other surgeon would touch me.

    Once I was at another surgeon's office and my gut said "RUN!!!!"

    I literally RAN out of his office and didn't slow down til I got home.

    The only time I make a horrible mistake is when I don't listen to myself.

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    1. "The only time I make a horrible mistake is when I don't listen to myself" This is so true and it takes us going through something like this to realize it.

      I hate it that you missed it on your first trip to the surgeon but am proud you ran when you got that next gut feeling.

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