Be aware of vending machines

"We must be aware of what we choose, if not we will choose to fail." - Anonymous

The other day I was sitting in class during a break we had a guy came in hoarding 4 candy bars and probably like 100 cookies.

"What the heck?" I said.

"Go check it out. The vending machine is broken outside and it gives you 3 of everything!"

So I go out there and sure enough, I press D7 for a Kit-Kat...I get 3 Kit Kat. I press B3 for a pink cookie, I get 3 pink cookies. I couldn't contain my excitement! It was awesome!

After all, it's the machine's fault it's broken. Not mine. I shouldn't have to be punished for my choosing to get a candy bar and I get 6. It's the machine's fault, not mine.

I called KacyAnn after class to tell her about my new found treasure. As I was telling her, I realized that what I had done wasn't the best choice.

I justified, "Yeah but I gave most of the candy away to fellow classmates. I'm like Robin Hood. I take from the rich and give to the poor. College students are as poor as they come."

My choice effected other people.

Be aware of yourself, what you are doing, how you are speaking.

Oh...and broken vending machines.

Sometimes you need to compromise

I love basketball.

I went to the basketball hall of fame....6 times, (It helped that I was living in Springfield, MA for 6 months).

I remember when I was 15 years old. My little brother Chad and I, were tired of the swing set.

"Dad, I'm too old to swing on those flexible pieces of plastic connect to chains and whenever I go down the slide the little hornets nest gets disturbed and I run away screaming. Can't we get rid of the swing set and get a basketball court?"

(Okay-so maybe that is the worst run on sentence ever; and maybe it wasn't phrased quite the way I'm describing....except for the run away screaming part...but I was only 15 okay?....and the screaming part was mostly Chad...)

"Ryan, we can't throw out the swing set. Each post is cemented three feet into the sand pit with about four feet worth of cement on the post itself."

Now, my compromising skills weren't quite like they are now. So, they probably sounded as follows:

"But Dad!"
"No Ryan, we can't"
"But Dad!"
"No"
"Bu--"
"Ryan, this conversation is over."

Being my teenage self, and trying to find a way to show my dad that I do know everything. I came up with a plan.

"Hey Dad, what if Chad and I dug up the posts and chipped off the cement?"

"You really want to do that?"

".....yes.....and we can give the swing set to Mrs. Jensen's kids. They're little."

"Okay. If you do that, we'll get a basketball court."

I spent that entire summer sweating away, breaking my dad's pick-ax, and chizzling off that cement. But I got the court.

Sometimes compromising takes time.

Sometimes you have to step back, think a little different, and be willing to work.

...Even if it takes all summer.

The Flashlight

Okay I'll admit. I have made mistakes.

Especially when it comes to dating/girls/trying to figure out how to tell a girl your not interested.

Just ask the 3 roommates I lived with for about 2 years. Dustin, Nate, and TJ will all tell you the same thing when asked, "Did Ryan know how to date girls the majority of the time he lived with you?" Answer? "Not really." "Who, Ryguy? He dated?" and "He tried to figure it out." would be close to their answers respectively.

One weekend we (the roommates and I) decided we were going to take a weekend camp-out trip to Moab,Utah. TJ wanted to bring his girlfriend, Katie, Nate wanted to bring his girlfriend, and Dustin wanted to pretend he wasn't single even though he technically was (long story). Me? Well I just wanted a girl to pay attention to me. Rule number one when wanting to date: Don't feel desperate, it turns out badly.

So Katie invited her roommate along. I thought her roommate was nice so I thought it would be fun to have her come and I could see if I liked her. She paid attention to me, and at the time that's all I considered in my dating montage. Like I said, I didn't quite know the whole dating thing.

It started getting dark in Moab as we setup camp. Our group was hiking through a wooded area with ONE flashlight. The drive was long, and I had become pretty irritated with Katie's roommate by this point of the day. I was leading the pack with the flashlight, and Katie's roommate was walking extremely close behind me. She was occasionally bumping arms with me and me being me (refer back to top of the page) thought she was trying to flirt with me. No way was I having anything to do with that. I said something along the lines of "will you back off of me?" (I know, I know) and she scoffed at me and said, "well you're the only one with the flashlight!"

Oops. My bad.

You're going to get annoyed sometimes in dating. Sometimes it may feel awkward, but the learning how to handle these situations can help you create better relationships in the future. Being perceptive, patient, and understanding with your date can help you better understand them....and yourself.

And sometimes....It's better not to assume you know why someone is doing what they are doing, or saying what they are saying....

And just give 'em the flashlight.