Pick battles then stand your ground

Life is full of issues, disagreement, happiness and tragedy.

And, face it, we don't always see eye to eye at work, at play or at home.

I think it's important to believe in what we believe in so there are times to stand up for it.

However, you can't push your beliefs onto others; diplomacy goes a lot farther in selling your point than the hard-nosed approach.

I suppose the older we get, the wiser we can become if we don't let that wisdom turn us into something obnoxious.

There are two sides to every story, so which side do we take? Sitting back and taking a good, hard look at the matter sometimes helps us decide whether or not to take action or sit still.

Silence can more often be the hero over stupidity.

My dog teaches me patience. This is the same dog that aggravates me when she barks at things I can't see or hear. Being the watchdog she is, I have to be careful not to scold her for doing her job.

Before barking back at her, I stop myself to check and see if there is something that triggers her behavior. Nine times out of ten, she has just cause for her actions. It's that one time that becomes so frustrating.

This is the same dog that can read people. She knows the good the bad and the ugly.

This is the same dog that greets me with "woo, woo, woo" at the gate, her voice becoming a language of its own welcoming me home.

Sometimes, we misunderstand our pets, misunderstand our co-workers and family and misunderstand total strangers out on the highway.

We rail at people who do what we think is stupid, dangerous or absurd out there because there truly are so many idiots on the road and we can't read their minds.

Here's an incident I had the other day that could have been catastrophic.

I was taking my barbecue propane tank in the back of my car to fill it at the store. In the process of getting to the spot to unload it, I looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear, and then began backing the car.

Out of nowhere, a speeding car whipped into the parking lot and cut me off as the motorist was hurrying to park. I felt a bump as the vehicle's bumper brushed my bumper, leaving a black rubber mark.

"Whew! That was close," I thought.

I got out of the car only to hear an old man bark at me that I was at fault because I was backing up.

Another person at the propane fill-up spot said I wasn't at fault, that the motorist was speeding to beat me to a parking spot that I wasn't even headed for.

The driver actually sheepishly apologized and we looked at his car and mine. No real damage. Fortunately, just some black marks that could be polished out.

I do hope that person learned a lesson in parking etiquette. And, because I didn't jump down his throat, we settled the matter peacefully. Sometimes it is better to just shake your head and walk away.

At work we often find the other person must be at fault. I don't know how many times I've caught myself jumping to conclusions, but fortunately kept them to myself only to later learn the true story. Sometimes my conclusions have been right, sometimes not.

Making judgment calls isn't always easy. And, personally, I'd rather not have egg on my face.

So, if you're going to make an issue out of something, make sure it's the bridge you want to die on. And, those bridges do exist.

Remember, you can't please everybody all the time and there is a time to get off the fence.