Putting New Labels On Old Things
Rummaging through packages at his meat counter, she discovered an oddity only the meat man could explain. Their ensuing conversation was overheard and reported to me, and I provide a few snippets for you herein.
She confronted the meat man with her question. "Both the fresh and frozen fish have same expiration date, but the frozen is much cheaper. Are you going to mark down the fresh fish also?"
With wide-eyed curiosity at this naive query, his reply came slowly. "Well, no."
"But the fresh fish is old, and it's the same price as the frozen fish. You might want to put it on sale." He still wouldn't budge.
Then swishing the fish about like a sword, she fought for a better deal. But by deftly parrying each thrust, his position remained secure. Finally, though, he snatched the package away and grumped, "Here, give that to me." Then he carefully re-wrapped the fish, attached a new label and handed the package back.
The woman evaluated the result. "You didn't mark this down at all! All you did was change the date to next week!"
"Well," snapped the now-surly meat man, "the date seemed to upset you, so I fixed it. Are you happy now?"
Giggling, she plopped the package into her basket. "You're funny."
"Well! You're funny, too!" huffed the meat man as he stalked away.
Who would deny the flaws in the meat man's logic? Simply changing labels can't turn bad into good.
Or can it? Consider how a bit of judicious "re-labeling" might enhance the coming New Year.
When others wrong me, both their names and offenses are quickly and dutifully entered in my mental account books under the heading People Who Have Done Me Wrong. But what if I re-label the heading to People I Must Forgive--and actually do it. Wouldn't immeasurable benefit flow to all parties?
Or when I scour my Bible for promises about difficult circumstances, what if I take a fat-tipped pen and append a label to each find: This Will Be Done For Me. A promise implies action, doesn't it?
And what if I write, in bold letters diagonally across each of my journal pages that recounts sickness or loss or adversity, a new label: Good Will Eventually Come From This. After all, the Bible assures us (Romans 8:28) "… that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God…."
And though a mere change of labels on the package won't miraculously turn old fish into new, a different viewpoint might remarkable transform the quality of my life. Thus I resolve to label more things as "Good" this coming year--and anticipate the benefits.
And for the curious, another little fact surfaced just yesterday: the fresh fish was indeed bad. Re-labeled one too many times by the meat man, I suppose.
Copyright 2002 James McAlister
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She confronted the meat man with her question. "Both the fresh and frozen fish have same expiration date, but the frozen is much cheaper. Are you going to mark down the fresh fish also?"
With wide-eyed curiosity at this naive query, his reply came slowly. "Well, no."
"But the fresh fish is old, and it's the same price as the frozen fish. You might want to put it on sale." He still wouldn't budge.
Then swishing the fish about like a sword, she fought for a better deal. But by deftly parrying each thrust, his position remained secure. Finally, though, he snatched the package away and grumped, "Here, give that to me." Then he carefully re-wrapped the fish, attached a new label and handed the package back.
The woman evaluated the result. "You didn't mark this down at all! All you did was change the date to next week!"
"Well," snapped the now-surly meat man, "the date seemed to upset you, so I fixed it. Are you happy now?"
Giggling, she plopped the package into her basket. "You're funny."
"Well! You're funny, too!" huffed the meat man as he stalked away.
Who would deny the flaws in the meat man's logic? Simply changing labels can't turn bad into good.
Or can it? Consider how a bit of judicious "re-labeling" might enhance the coming New Year.
When others wrong me, both their names and offenses are quickly and dutifully entered in my mental account books under the heading People Who Have Done Me Wrong. But what if I re-label the heading to People I Must Forgive--and actually do it. Wouldn't immeasurable benefit flow to all parties?
Or when I scour my Bible for promises about difficult circumstances, what if I take a fat-tipped pen and append a label to each find: This Will Be Done For Me. A promise implies action, doesn't it?
And what if I write, in bold letters diagonally across each of my journal pages that recounts sickness or loss or adversity, a new label: Good Will Eventually Come From This. After all, the Bible assures us (Romans 8:28) "… that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God…."
And though a mere change of labels on the package won't miraculously turn old fish into new, a different viewpoint might remarkable transform the quality of my life. Thus I resolve to label more things as "Good" this coming year--and anticipate the benefits.
And for the curious, another little fact surfaced just yesterday: the fresh fish was indeed bad. Re-labeled one too many times by the meat man, I suppose.
Copyright 2002 James McAlister
Printer friendly version
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