It happens a lot when I get a massage. You can practically see the steam rising off my head, I am thinking so hard and so concentrated: NO! NOT THERE, OVER THERE! NO! THERE!! Aaargh, so close! I like my massage therapist who lives here in Flyinge (and I like her prices, too) but I often come away feeling that she didn't hit the spot, or she only hit it part of the time. On Tuesday, I woke up with a terrible headache; borderline migraine, that despite medication, stretching exercises and caffeine, refused to let go its grip on the back of my neck and skull until, by the end of the day, I could tell that my shoulders were up around my ears and my head was throbbing.
As I took off my jacket and shoes and got ready to lie down on the table, I screwed up my determination and told her that I didn't want the usual today, and explained about the horrible headache. I outlined exactly what I wanted and damned if it didn't work. She hit the spot immediately and kept on hitting it for 40 straight minutes as my eyes rolled up into my head and I went into a coma. AAAAAH. When it was over, and I was able to wipe the drool from the headrest and arise, I praised the massage to the skies and told her I would have to ask for that version every time. Ta-dah!
Was that so hard?
Thinking at them rarely works with my kids either. Usually I have to yell at them to get their attention, which is much less dignified than mind control. Nor does it work with colleagues, a very dissatisfying state of affairs. And, more's the pity,there's no yelling policy in the corporate handbook. If only thinking made it so. Shut your door when you're having a discussion in your office at that decibel level, my mental voice shouts at one aggravating co-worker. Stop reading all your instructions one by one to me while pointing at them in turn...I CAN READ it blasts through the brainpan of another. Give me a raise and more recognition! is mentally darted at my manager. No reaction. Rats.
I think part of the problem is that I just assume that people should automatically understand and cater to the unspoken wishes of others, namely, me. It's only common courtesy, after all.
If I ran the world, things would be different around here!