Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXIII

My mind and my wife's mind work exactly the same.....up to a point. Then hers goes off and leaves mine behind. For example, let's say I walk into the kitchen and I see red liquid on the floor. My mind then says, "It looks like someone spilled Kool-Aid on the floor." A couple minutes later, she walks in, and her mind says, "It looks like someone spilled Kool-Aid on the floor." See, our thoughts were exactly the same, but mine stall out at that point while hers spring into action, and three seconds later she's on her hands and knees cleaning it up. I promise it's not because I'm lazy, and I really don't mind doing exactly what she's doing. Eventually it would occur to me to get a rag and start cleaning, but that process in my brain moves in slow motion. All of us are thinkers, but not many of us are doers. I'm sure there are some situations like that where laziness comes into play, but that's not always the case. Most of us would feel sorry for the homeless man standing without a coat in the frigid air, but only a few of us would actually do something about it. All of us would see the big box in the middle of the street, but less than half of us would actually take the time to stop and move it out of the way. All of us would feel gratitude for the service of those two soldiers we see walking through the airport, but only a few us us would actually express it to them. What's the difference? What makes some of us act while the rest only think about it? Is it because those few are better people or feel more compassion than the rest of us? I really don't think so. I'm of the opinion that almost every individual who reads the words I write every week is a good hearted, compassionate person. No doubt there are some who lack confidence in themselves to do an adequate job, but I believe the real reason is we just don't think about it. We haven't trained our minds to take that next step and order ourselves into action. I had seen the little stray puppy beside the street where we used to run every Monday morning, and I really felt sorry for him, but my friend Deena picked him up and brought him home. I guess I could've done the same thing, but honestly, it never crossed my mind. She says Ace has turned out to be a great pet and member of her family. I was aware of the family that was going through a period of financial difficulty, but it was Angie who came up with the idea of sending them a hundred dollars. I'm thankful she has strength in areas where I'm weak. So, is there hope for those of us whose minds are slow to action? I think so. It may take some time, but I believe if we go ahead and act when we do finally think of it, it won't be long until our response time will be cut in half. I want to learn how to become "The Good Samaritan." I'm tired of being the man who crosses to the other side of the street. Preston