Staying Real

    It can be fun to be unpredictable. After all, no one wants to be considered boring. We want other people to enjoy being around us. We want to be spontaneous, original, and interesting – at least to some degree. But sometimes we feel that our lives are too automated, too routine. We feel the need to mix things up a bit. So we look for ways to add color to our lives and to keep things fresh. This can definitely be beneficial.
    Children can be helped when their parents take a spontaneous approach to their schooling and tailor their school experience to include their individual interests and learning styles. People who are going through difficult circumstances can help take their minds off ​their suffering by adopting a new sport or hobby. People can strengthen their marriages by keeping them from growing stale. And breakthroughs often happen in business, math, science, etc. when people think outside the box.
    Although a case can be made in favor of being unpredictable as we go about our daily lives, there is also such a thing as being unpredictable for the wrong reasons. Sometimes we keep other people guessing... even when we shouldn't. We might make a vague Facebook post that contains just enough information to catch people's attention, but not enough information so that anyone really knows what we're talking about. In this way, we fish for others' sympathy or support, lacking the courage to contact and open up to the people who could really help us through whatever we're dealing with.  We should be respectful to the people who care about us, and we should be real with them, instead of speaking in riddles.
    Sometimes, in an effort to be “cool”, we are deliberately vague with other people. We pretend like nothing affects us. We disregard other people's efforts to spend time with us, dismissing them with thoughtless words or actions. And, ironically, as people wonder what we really think about them, we secretly ask ourselves what other people actually think about us.
    Let's ask ourselves a few questions: Do we beat around the bush with people who deserve our honesty? Do we keep other people guessing about our intentions? Do we use the “silent treatment” to punish others... and leave them wondering what they did to offend us? Instead of being vague with other people, let's step up to the plate and tell them what they need to know.