The Other Half

I had the good fortune during this past work week to actually sit down for lunch at a restaurant. Normally I'm on the go and eating on the run, so this was a welcome change.

Lately I've been eating much less than I usually do, so I decided for a something light by ordering a bowl of soup and half a sandwich. The soup of the day was split pea soup, one of my favorites, and I chose a half turkey sandwich to go with it. The split pea soup was the best I can ever remember having, even better than the famous soup up the coast of California near Solvang.

The half sandwich that arrived with the soup was absolutely huge. I'm glad it was just a half sandwich, because in the end, I couldn't finish it. As I began to tackle the task of consuming this monster sandwich, I noticed how cleanly cut it was when making it a half sandwich. I also noticed that for a sandwich that was buttery and toasty on the outside, it wasn't very warm. Then it dawned on me. I got a HALF sandwich. Did I get the first half or the other half?

The restaurant wasn't very crowded, maybe because it was just the top of the lunch hour, but there were about a half dozen tables occupied. So I thought to myself, did I get the first half that maybe sat a while before being served to me? Or did I get the other half that was waiting for someone to come along to claim it before who knows what would happen to it?

I'd like to think I came along to save this possibly unappreciated other half from some unsavory sort of demise. It wouldn't be cast off in the garbage to be tossed into a smelly refuse of a dumpster, or sent down to meet its gruesome end in the throes of spinning blades in a garbage disposal. (Do they have those in restaurants?)

No, it crossed the path of an appreciative and hungry man who enjoyed its wonderful taste and fulfilling character. This other half met with a happy ending... in my stomach.

Advisory

People like to be helpful. I think we all have this innate quality. We hear of someone's problem and we are ready, willing and able to fix it for them. Some are able to suppress this, whereas others should suppress it and don't.

As a man, I am told that we, as men, are the natural handymen and repairmen. When we are in conversation with women and hear their problems, we too often offer advice on how to fix them, when all they want to do is vent their problems. What we need to do is listen for a key question similar to this: "What do you think I should do?" Beware. This does not necessarily mean that you are now free to fix the problem. Feel her out. She still may be venting.

What is even more troublesome, though, is the good-natured person with good intentions that uses today's social media networks to give advice. There are those that like to post quotes and Scripture, as I do. I do this solely as a means to encourage someone. There may be someone out there in cyberspace, unknown to me, that could use what they read for their own personal situation.

Then there are those who seem to think they have training in counseling or psychology and freely give advice. Unfortunately, it's not clearly thought through and flawed. These are good-hearted people that just fall short in their intentions. Initially, it sounds good, but when you look more deeply at their advice the flaws are evident.

This is dangerous. It's a danger to those who are emotionally and spiritually vulnerable. To those who are doing this, I have just one simple request. STOP.