Leading Yourself With the Boomerang

Boomerangs have been in existence for centuries. They originated from throwing sticks which were longer, slightly curved, heavy wooden sticks. Unlike the sport boomerangs of today, these sticks were not designed to return. They were designed as a survival tool for hunting and protection.

Today, we still protect ourselves from harm. Only we don’t use a throwing stick. We use a stick of blame. We use it to protect our reputation or pride or ego. For instance, if we don’t meet an intended objective in the workplace, we may fear that we’ll look incompetent. So we defend ourselves from the shortcoming by throwing out the Stick of Blame. By redirecting the fault onto some unsuspecting soul or circumstance, we feel protected from any further harm.

Don’t Pee in the Pool

As a boy, I would look forward to swimming in Miss June’s pool. She had the only pool in the neighborhood. Miss June put on a rough and tough image. She was a short, stout, harsh-looking woman with a raspy voice to match. If we cut through her yard, she would yell at us with one hand on her hip and the other one wagging a cigarette at us. Yet every summer she let us swim in her pool for an entrance fee. We could swim the entire day for a mere twenty-five cents!