There are mysteries of human behavior and questions of the universe that I don’t understand. Some things just don’t make sense to me. It often sets me to wondering WHY? Why do these things happen this way? Maybe you have experienced similar questions. Read on to find out more.
WHY does Pumpkin Spice flavoring arrive in early August? Some of us are still getting our summer on. Even though school starts in August, there is still time for pools and picnics. Here, in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s 94 deg F, for cryin' out loud. Pumpkin Spice is a warm comfort spicy flavor. It ushers in Fall and cooler weather. It doesn’t taste right when it’s blazing hot outside. Why can’t they wait until the "official" end of summer? Ya know, Labor Day in September?
WHY does our cat always come to sit on my lap and cuddle right when I need to get up? I might have been sitting on the sofa for 5 minutes or for 50 minutes. About the time I decide to get up to take care of some kind of business; meaning, I haven’t actually moved, I’ve just thought that I needed to get up; THAT’s when the cat comes over sweetly to sit on my lap to snuggle. How can I possibly get up then? If he would just come over a little sooner, or wait til I come back to the sofa, then we could snuggle all you want. Why does he do that?
WHY do they load passengers on planes from front to back? Final boarders jostling through a sea of elbows and intruding feet, as they make their way to the back of the plane. Recently, I had the unexpected good fortune to be the very 1st passenger boarding a plane. It was surprisingly easy to navigate the middle isle of the plane when all the seats were completely empty. I mean, crazily easy. Difference like night and day. Normally, I am not a fan of sitting longer than necessary on the plane—if I had my druthers, I would rather swoop in at the last second just before the flight attendant closes the door. But, now I know that for ease of entry, I like to board the plane without having to pass by passengers who are already settled.
Here's an idea: What if we let those at the BACK of the plane board first? Then no one would have to pass by other people or wait until someone moved out of the isle in order to get to their seat. I know, I know, it’s the luggage compartment that makes all the difference. Last ones to board have trouble finding space in the overhead compartment. But, couldn’t that whole thing be re-evaluated so that the space above each seat is reserved for the passenger that sits there? So passengers don't make their own rules? Change the dimension requirements, or something, so that carry-on luggage will actually fit in the assigned space? Or have a specific plan in place to accommodate oddly shaped items so that they don’t take up too much room? Implement some order so that the last to enter the cabin don't get short-changed on luggage space? There’s gotta be a better way. I’m just sayin.
WHY do I hem and haw when it’s time to take a shower, all because I can’t stand the thought of getting wet? Then, once in the shower, why do I stall longer and longer, because I just can’t make myself get out to dry off? I don't want to get wet and I don't want to get dry. Why is that? Speaking of the shower....
WHY is the printing on shampoo and conditioner bottles so tiny? And, often, written in lightly colored or white letters? If your eyes are young and spunky, you might not have noticed. But, if your eyes are old and tired, like those of us who have lived multiple scores (score=20 years, just ask Abe Lincoln), the writing is almost impossible to read. Especially in the shower, where we don’t take our reading glasses. Standing in the stream of water, squinting to try to read which bottle is which? Hey, Shampoo Companies--hire some old-timers for your labeling team, please, so they will produce LARGE font with DARK print. Then we will be able to read it when we need it most.
And speaking of washing our hair...
WHY does my hair look like this before I brush it?
And THIS after I brush it? Are you kidding me? Why? I mean, why?
WHY do people use the bathroom while talking with someone on their cell phone? Yuck. What happens at the toilet is a private experience that IMHO, baring some specific medical condition, does not need to be shared with another person. Some calls, I realize, are extremely important. Should you already be in the bathroom and that type of call comes in, you know, like "Help us! We have 1 hour left to save the world!" then I think it's OK to answer the phone. But, to be in the middle of an ongoing call, then make the conscious decision to enter the bathroom and have at it? No, no. Not while talking to your boss, your friend, your kid, a customer service rep, your mother, your significant other. Nobody. It's time for you to learn how to take a break from the phone call when nature calls. Get in, get your business done, and get out. And learn the phrase "Let me call you back."
WHY are Adirondack chairs so popular? Maybe it’s just me. But, I think they are the most uncomfortable, bulkiest, hardest to exit chair ever made. Yet, I see them everywhere. Do people find them comfortable? Stylish? Easy to get in and out of? I don’t get it. I’ll sit on anything-- campstool, bag chair, hammock, car bumper, log, ground-- rather than sit in the deep-set, lean-back chair. So uncomfortable.
WHY is American English so bizarre? It has to be one of the most complicated languages. Take, for example, these rhyming words and look how they are spelled:
do, shoe, two, through, glue, zoo, flu, crew
How ridiculous is that? I know it's all down to word origins and all. But, somebody somewhere should have called Enough! and settled it right then and there. Tried to have it all make sense.
WHY do hotdogs come in a 10 count package, but hotdog buns come in an 8 count package? I rarely eat hotdogs, like maybe once every few years. But, I did enjoy a hotdog kickback on the 4th of July when we watched the Nathan’s Famous International Hotdog Eating Contest with friends. Well, I averted my eyes for much of it. Doesn’t take much food grossness to make my stomach turn. I ate a hotdog, and I watched what I felt comfortable watching, in the interest of wondering why in the world people do the things that they do. Does anyone really need to eat 62 hotdogs in 10 minutes? (Besides winner Joey Chestnut?) In my book, no, they do not. Regardless of the extreme nature of food eating contests, I do wonder why, for regular people, hotdog and bun packaging isn’t more coordinated. Simple math, anyone?
WHY do drivers rush up to pass me when I am already in the process of backing out of a parking space? It seems to me that proper etiquette and safe driving rules allow the person who is actively exiting a parking space to complete the maneuver, so they can get out of the way and move on. But, time and time again, when I am backing out of a space, my backup camera alarms and my car starts beeping frantically to alert me that another driver is whooshing by. I must stop, even if I am already ¾ of the way into the backup, so I can let the jerk person drive behind me. I’m not a slow-grandma driver. OK, I know that slow-grandma drivers don’t realize that they are slow. But, really I’m not like that. If I'm backing up, there is no delay, I get the job done as efficiently as possible. So, why do some drivers insist on squeezing by my car and interrupting my movement?
WHY do I forget to thank the people around me and even The Big Man Upstairs for all of their love and support? I couldn't get through my life without them. I really appreciate everything that they do for me.
Well, that's not a complete list of Why? questions, but that’s all I’ve got time for now. What about you? Any mysteries that you ponder? Anything make you tilt your head, squinch up your face, and say “WHY? Just WHY?” I’d love to hear about it….