Do You Read The Directions?
Yes or No?
I will start this off by saying, no, I usually don’t read the directions, nor do I usually have time for the fine print. This may or may not lead to frustration. Could this be a learning lesson?
I’m not thinking of a lesson that I should read the directions, but more along the lines of thinking, “Well, that happened. What’s the next step?”
A way to bliss. A way to a place where frustration has just as much right to be a part of my experience in life as joy does.
I’d been brought up to pay attention to the directions and instructions I received. What I found out is that attention to detail, though a favorite trait of Virgos, isn’t necessary all the time.
For instance, you buy a new toaster. There’s the plug, and there’s the one switch. What’s to figure out? If it’s a toaster oven, you’ve got versatility, like you can melt cheese on a piece of bread. Or you can make a quesadilla in it without too much trouble.
If it’s an old-fashioned toaster, you know there is probably a light, medium and dark setting. You don’t need directions for that. If something gets stuck, use a fork. Some people might caution against using a fork if the unit is still plugged in. I’m all for throwing caution to the wind and removing whatever stinking, smoldering, smoking thing is caught in the throat of my toaster. This is also why the last toaster I ever had was probably before 1974, when I headed out on my own into the world.
I don’t know if it’s quirky or not, but I always learn just enough to make it work. Whatever it might be like computer programs. I write. It types. It shows up on paper. There, it’s a letter, a list, or five pages of a chapter. Did you know when you’re writing something, editing, and proofing on the screen ensures you are going to miss something that needs attention? If you can see it on a piece of paper, it’s a good editing job. If you read it out loud to yourself, that’s another way to catch stuff. If you want to save paper, just wait a day and reread it on your screen.
The absolutely best way to catch a mistake is to press PUBLISH. That’s when those glaring errors you didn’t catch in three rounds of proofing didn’t show up.
I have had my car since 2014. It was ten years old then. It also came with a manual. Did I read it? No. I was able to figure out most of the stuff I needed on my own. Now that the car is 20 years old, there are a lot of things that work sporadically or not at all. Do I let this bother me? No. I haven’t been able to tune in to a decent radio station in years. Sometimes, the high beams won’t turn off. It doesn’t bother me because I can’t drive at night anymore. My mother had it, as does my sister: night blindness.
I will say that many is the time I’ve gone to YouTube to find out how to make an Excel spreadsheet dance a little. It used to be before I retired that nothing pleased me more than to watch somebody else work on a spreadsheet. They and I had the same goal in mind, but how they got there was different than the way I did. Maybe it wasn’t so much fun for them because I’d grab their shoulder and say, “What did you just do? Will you do it again so I can understand it?” Now, just for the fun of it, I will fire up YouTube and find somebody doing something with a spreadsheet. I learn something every time, something new or something I’d forgotten.
Lately, whatever instructions we get involve the need for super sharp eyesight, which I don’t have anymore. I do have several magnifying glasses scattered around the house, but even those don’t seem to work.
One of my favorite illustrations of not reading the directions involved a new job where somebody asked me to type a letter for them and print it. I got the letter done and pressed print. Nothing happened. So, I pressed print again…and again…and again until finally, I realized the paper was jammed in the printer. It was one of those old tractor feed printers everybody used back in the day before we were able to switch to cut sheets of paper. I ended up getting 18 copies of that letter.
Thanks for reading.