There are two brands of Girl Scout Cookies: One brand made by ABC Distributers and the other made by Little Brownies. One of the companies has cutesy names for the cookies, but unless you are a seasoned consumer, you can't tell what you are ordering. The other distributor calls it what it is.
Don't you think most people like for you to call it what it is? Not just in the world of cookies, but in life in general. I know that when you "call it like it is," you really have to "see it like it is" and that's where some people THINK they are calling it like it is, but in actuality, they are calling it like they see it.
If you don't get the Girl Scout cookie metaphor, maybe you'll get the Thelma metaphor.
On one side of my family, we had the two Thelmas. There was "Aunt Thelma" who saw things for exactly what they were and would lay it on the line. For example, if she saw a kid acting out of control around the house, she'd say, "Marie, trust me, that kid's going to grow up to be out of control if you don't bust her hiney this instant. Trust me. Trust me. I tell it like it is." Well, looking at Aunt Thelma's track record, she must have known she didn't give out enough "butt whoopins" because a majority of her kids (I think she had like 9) were incarcerated or running from the law. There were actually three who were very good people. They probably got the "whoopins". So, my Nanny Ree, tried hard to talk or bust the bad out of our hineys to adhere to Aunt Thelma's telling it like it is. I'd like to say I got a many of preventative "whoopins". I not only got them on the Thelma's side of the family, but I attempted to outrun my other granny's hickory, too. I'm thinkin' preventative and reactive where what encompassed my "whoopins".
So, what about the other Thelma? Well, she renamed herself, "Betty B. Dobbins". She didn't like the name "Thelma" and without any legal papers changed her name to Betty B. She always had a new car and when she went places with you, you never got to ride in the new car. You rode in Nanny Ree's car. It was a rust colored station wagon with not back door and it honked the horn every time a corner was turned. Oh, yeah. Absolute classic. She said she needed that station wagon because she never knew when she'd have to haul a good roll of carpet or something. Even at 9, I couldn't get that rationale, but, you know...Now, Miss Betty B. was full of opinions. She thought she was "telling it like it is," but she was actually "telling it like she THOUGHT it was." Here's an illustration of Betty B.'s "telling it like it is." Said kid was running around the house acting crazy and Betty B. would comment, "Hmm. " She'd never tell you what she was thinking (possibly there weren't any complete thoughts there) and just look at everyone she felt was responsible for the said child as though she were making a prediction of the future by raising her eyebrows and josteling her keys. She'd never tell you like it is. She'd just act like she knew what it would be. And, she didn't have much of a track record for perspective either because she typically absorbed the environment around her, but never really contributed to it herself. Maybe her not summing it all up for you, led you to think a little on your own....
You have Thelma #1 that ironed in full make up at the kitchen table telling everybody like it was and Thelma#2 that was in and out of situations long enough to form her opinion, but never be able to sway outcomes because she really wasn't around long enough to make a solid observation that would lead to anything productive.
A Thin Mint's a thin mint, right? What the heck's a Tag A Long?
I think a good piece of advice is that if you are calling it like it is, make sure you know enough to call it like it is. Right?
Don't you think most people like for you to call it what it is? Not just in the world of cookies, but in life in general. I know that when you "call it like it is," you really have to "see it like it is" and that's where some people THINK they are calling it like it is, but in actuality, they are calling it like they see it.
If you don't get the Girl Scout cookie metaphor, maybe you'll get the Thelma metaphor.
On one side of my family, we had the two Thelmas. There was "Aunt Thelma" who saw things for exactly what they were and would lay it on the line. For example, if she saw a kid acting out of control around the house, she'd say, "Marie, trust me, that kid's going to grow up to be out of control if you don't bust her hiney this instant. Trust me. Trust me. I tell it like it is." Well, looking at Aunt Thelma's track record, she must have known she didn't give out enough "butt whoopins" because a majority of her kids (I think she had like 9) were incarcerated or running from the law. There were actually three who were very good people. They probably got the "whoopins". So, my Nanny Ree, tried hard to talk or bust the bad out of our hineys to adhere to Aunt Thelma's telling it like it is. I'd like to say I got a many of preventative "whoopins". I not only got them on the Thelma's side of the family, but I attempted to outrun my other granny's hickory, too. I'm thinkin' preventative and reactive where what encompassed my "whoopins".
So, what about the other Thelma? Well, she renamed herself, "Betty B. Dobbins". She didn't like the name "Thelma" and without any legal papers changed her name to Betty B. She always had a new car and when she went places with you, you never got to ride in the new car. You rode in Nanny Ree's car. It was a rust colored station wagon with not back door and it honked the horn every time a corner was turned. Oh, yeah. Absolute classic. She said she needed that station wagon because she never knew when she'd have to haul a good roll of carpet or something. Even at 9, I couldn't get that rationale, but, you know...Now, Miss Betty B. was full of opinions. She thought she was "telling it like it is," but she was actually "telling it like she THOUGHT it was." Here's an illustration of Betty B.'s "telling it like it is." Said kid was running around the house acting crazy and Betty B. would comment, "Hmm. " She'd never tell you what she was thinking (possibly there weren't any complete thoughts there) and just look at everyone she felt was responsible for the said child as though she were making a prediction of the future by raising her eyebrows and josteling her keys. She'd never tell you like it is. She'd just act like she knew what it would be. And, she didn't have much of a track record for perspective either because she typically absorbed the environment around her, but never really contributed to it herself. Maybe her not summing it all up for you, led you to think a little on your own....
You have Thelma #1 that ironed in full make up at the kitchen table telling everybody like it was and Thelma#2 that was in and out of situations long enough to form her opinion, but never be able to sway outcomes because she really wasn't around long enough to make a solid observation that would lead to anything productive.
A Thin Mint's a thin mint, right? What the heck's a Tag A Long?
I think a good piece of advice is that if you are calling it like it is, make sure you know enough to call it like it is. Right?
3 comments:
I'm gonna tell you what I call this, random!
Thelma should've given her kids more than one "whoopin" and Marie should've, too. I think they were both too interested in trying to raise other people's children than their own! However, to disagree with Sanna, I get this post. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Unfortunately I do both and it gets me in trouble a lot. Life is too short to fence ride...pick a side and jump! Hugs!
This post made me laugh until I about peed on myself! I do remember going to Aunt Thelma's house and sitting around the "lazy susan" at the table while she cooked and cleaned in full makeup and then of course Betty B. would show up at NR's in her rollers yelling, " Beep Beep Weeeeee Hoooooo!!!!" Two different Thelmas! I feel like NR was always there Louise and along for the ride with them.
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