Low Expectations

Kylee, one of my all-time favorites, is now a renowned chef! She was also the subject of the following entry from April 20, 2006.

I saw Kylee early this morning. Kylee's mom, Linda, is in charge of our Westbury Christian copy room. Since I give a multitude of quizzes/tests, I spend quite a bit of time there before school. As I typically do, I asked Kylee if she was having a good day. Her answer was, "Yes...so far." Several minutes later, I ran into Caitlyn. Same question: are you having a good day? Caitlyn gave me the identical response as Kylee. In fact, I would estimate about 80% of our female students respond with virtually the same word-for-word reply each time I inquire as to their well-being. This mystifies me so I turned to the source of most of my knowledge, our students of the more delicate gender. Below are several explanations on why girls condition their response with "so far."

"I think the reason girls say so far is because their day could be going great and then it turns around because of one little thing. It could be so little but it still matters to the girl. Girls are very sentimental and their moods change very fast and very easily." Isa- sophomore

"Girls say so far because they are expecting something bad to happen. Girls like drama: they want something to happen because it gives them something to talk about." Gina- sophomore

"Girls say so far because every day is a roller coaster ride. There are daily ups and downs. One minute can change the whole day." Kristin- sophomore

"It's not that we look at life in a pessimistic way. It's just that if you expect or know the worst can happen, it won't come as a surprise. The effect of the bad is somewhat cushioned. We know how to react and know what to do from there. We expect the worst because the day isn't over yet. We over-analyze and we emote. It's what we do even though we don't want to. Maybe it's hormones, who knows?" Alyssa- sophomore

I imagine my female readers understand completely what my Bible students wrote. I imagine the male readers, like me, are still in the dark. Maybe identical information when filtered through gender-specific hormones is translated into separate male and female vernaculars. It seems to me that you would never be truly happy because of an impending dread that the roof is about to cave in. It isn't that I never get down but I try to live by the Vanessa Williams philosophy- You Went And Saved The Best For Last! I have always believed the next thing the Lord has in store for me will make me even happier. The funny thing is, the students quoted above tend to be tremendously upbeat in their outlooks on life! In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches that we should not worry about tomorrow because, "each day has enough trouble of its own." Apparently, our young ladies have that Scripture committed to memory. I could have discussed this with my gentlemen students but their responses would fall into two categories:
1. Coach, what are you talking about?
2. Coach, who cares?

I guess I will just leave it at that. I could delve further into the teenage girl psyche but the discussion would end where most of mine do when trying to figure out girls: "Coach Hawley, you just wouldn't understand!" AMEN!

Applicable quote of the day #1:
"I expect to live forever. So far, so good."
Steven Wright

Applicable quote of the day #2:
"It's great to be blonde. With low expectations, it's very easy to surprise people." Pamela Anderson

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com