Read The Room

I heard the phrase, “Read the room!” from someone who heard it the first time from someone in the house. I’m not sure of its originality, but the idea is a valid point. Before saying anything, or doing something about a need you perceive, check the “lay of the land” and see if the time is right.

I’m not successful in this most of the time.
Clueless comes to mind.
I don’t read people well, nor do I comprehend the room temperature very well.

I have learned to read animals. Pets. Especially dogs. It may be due to my calm voice and deep, friendly sounds. If you don’t learn how to read their body language, then you may get bitten! Our 80 lb puppy, Bear, loves to grab our hands with his mouth and walk with us. His teeth are sharp, and his bite is strong, but he has no intention of harming you. Just be careful. You can still draw blood!

It’s those little yappers you have to worry about the most!

A week ago, I signed up for a periodic bit of news dealing with genetics, and I received a second newsletter on Thursday, 9/8/22. I already knew the headlines and did not feel surprised at their response a few minutes later. After all, their newsletter was trumped by the N-E-W-S!

If you saw the news about Queen Elizabeth II and then saw my email about Genghis Khan shortly after…

Imagine how I felt when I hit “send,” then saw the news myself…IMMEDIATE FACEPALM

How could I send an email about Genghis Khan when the world is mourning the loss of such an impactful leader from our lifetime? I’m sorry if it appeared I failed to read the room… I honestly didn’t know until after it was too late.

So here’s to Queen Elizabeth II…
She was one of the very few constants in the world for multiple generations…
She was often the ONLY woman at tables of powerful people…
And, as strange/sad as it is to think…
She is likely the LAST Queen we’ll see in the United Kingdom in our lifetimes (given the number of male heirs waiting in line behind her).
Rest in power, as kids say these days.

Try to enjoy the rest of your day, Carl.

We All Fail At Times

You know, sometimes we fail to take the temperature of the times before we say something, start a new career path, or ask for help. We buy a house at the market’s peak instead of waiting until there’s a slump. Or, we go on vacation when the dollar is not stronger than the currency you hoping to spend some time with. We buy stock and hang on to it too long… Ouch. Crypto, anyone?

Maybe the crucial thing is to not rush into the room with some news until you understand if the news is acceptable. Test the waters! Float a trial balloon. The idea is to understand what’s going on before blurting out something that would be inappropriate or ill-timed.

Looking over your shoulders, do you remember a time when you said something you should not have said because the timing was not the best?

Pundits tell us it’s easy to read a room. Be engaged. Make eye contact. Listen, and respond appropriately to show you’re engaged. Note subtle hints of body language, tone of voice, stance, and what others do with their hands. With all the room distractions, it’s easy to not pay attention at the right time.

Recently, I stepped into a room and purposefully did not engage with anyone. I was waiting to see how long it would take for others to acknowledge me. Let’s just say it did not feel good to only have a child run over and say hello. Maybe our job is to encourage our kids to be situationally aware! The other part of our task is to take note of someone walking into a room and have a greeting prepared. Working hard at being engaged!

Hmmm…Tractor Supply Company does a good job of greeting everyone who walks into their store! Engaged!

Imagine Jesus…

I was thinking about Jesus being thronged by the masses on his way to a particularly desperate situation. His disciples did their job well, keeping the path open, and the crowd pushed back.

Suddenly, Jesus stops.

And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”
(Luke 8:45-46 NKJV)

This seems to be Jesus’ forte. Reading the room. From Zacchaeus in the tree to the blind man on the roadside, Jesus could see through the noise and feel the desperation and hope of those in need. He could perceive the room about him! Perceive = “observe fully.“

We sing an old song with many verses written by many different people. But I found that the author (Harmon?) wrote only this chorus.

Reach out and touch the Lord as He’s passing by.
You’ll find He’s not too busy to hear your heart’s cry.
He is passing by this moment; your needs He’ll supply.
Reach out and touch the Lord as He goes by.

Maybe that’s our job all the time. Read the room. Know the timing. There is a perfect moment. The Lord’s passing by. Maybe this very moment. Go ahead. Read the room.