Do Strangers Think Bad of You? Who Cares!
The doctor had already signed the release so Amanda could go home from the hospital. At 8 A.M. we let the nurse in charge know that we’d like to leave between 11 and 12. She said she’d prepare the discharge papers. By 11:45, no one had shown up and Gayle, my wife, decided to get it sped up. Amanda, 22 years old, bandaged from jaw surgery, mumbled, “Don’t do that. Give her another 15 minutes.” Gayle took off any way. Later, in the car, when we talked about it, Amanda rolled her eyes and muttered, “You always embarrass me.” She was joking, because in our family, we like to get things moving. She does, too. When it comes to handling potentially awkward situations, our family motto is a question, “What are you afraid of, that some stranger’s going to think bad of you?”
Years ago I read an anonymous quote in Ann Landers’ column that made a huge impact on me and helped me get ahead when other people felt they should hold back. It goes like this:
When I was in my 20’s I was concerned what other people thought about me.
When I was in my 40’s I didn’t care what other people thought about me.
In my 60’s I realized other people were so busy in their own lives they never were thinking about me.
I say it’s smart to be strong and do what you know you have to do.
![[del.icio.us]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Google]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://smarterbytheminute.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)