Silent Signals

Humans are the most unpredictable things that have every existed!!

I  will just offer some examples if you are wondering how. So,

There are so many different ways, we as people, interpret others around us. For example, if a guy picks up your books for you(assuming you are female) how would you react? Well, that depends on one main fact, was the guy attractive? A girl who found him attractive would think that he is the sweetest person she has ever met, on the other hand if she found him ugly then she would be repulsed and think he was a creep.
If you did not like that example, how about the way we base others on their clothes. Lets say that you are a manager of a store and a group of teenage kids who wore baseball caps and low hanging pants walked in. At that same time, a little kid with his mother walks in. Now, who would you expect to steal something from your store? Obviously the gang of guys, but guess what, it was actually the mother who stole something. She just lost her job, had no money, and needed food for her kid.

Going along with that story:
My mom would just be washing the dishes after a long day at work, and this was our cue to stay away. I personally thought that she was always upset at us for not cleaning anything while she was gone, which I am sure was sometimes the case. Later, I asked her why she would always clean the dishes when she came home from work? She replied that it relaxed her. I was clearly uniformed in what I thought was her upset and distressing face.
I could go on and on about misinterpretations in the families our with others, but I think you get the jist. The thing to pull out of this reading, is that communication is key. Not just talking, but explaining the reasons behind your actions. We should not assume we know what type of person someone is by their look. Just like we cannot assume we know how someone is feeling based on their expression. A simple smile could mean your upset or you could just be faking happiness. You will never actually know unless you ask.
The problem most people face is assuming you know what the other person is going to do, how they feel, why they did what they did. We assume to much!! I will say this one more time. STOP assuming, just ask! One time, well actually this happened way more than once, but that is besides the point. One time, my whole family was at the temple and we decided to go eat somewhere afterwards. We took about three different vehicles. They were full of family and friends (remember I am in a family of ten). Well, we got to the restaurant, got a table, ordered our food, and ate almost all our food when my mom gets a phone call. Turns out, we left my sister Melissa at the temple. No one knew because we were all sitting at different tables and we all came in different cars. My mom thought she was with my dad. My dad thought she was with my mom. But really, she was with no one. I love my family, but we are the epitome of miscommunication and wrong signal interpretations sometimes. Don't worry she was fine, and got food to make up for her bad experience. This just goes to show you,  always use the buddy system...I mean, communicate.
Another, not so scarring story, is the time when I made treats for some friends. I love making treats, but let's be honest, baking is a lot of work. So when I put in a ton of effort, I expect praise for the delicious goodness. What actually ended up happening was they denied my amazing gooey, highly fatty treat. Ohh, how crushed I was! What could I have possibly done wrong? Are they made at me? Is this the end of our friendship? Is this the end of the world? Okay, Okay, a little melodramatic, but you get the point. I had no idea what to think until I asked them. Turns out, they just started a diet and didn't want to eat the unhealthy food I baked. And on the plus side, now I know next time to get them a veggie tray.;)