Being Flexible

My favorite flavor of ice cream if vanilla. I understand that vanilla is viewed by many as being bland, unexciting, and a snapshot of my not-so-exciting personality. While I concede the last point, I take issue with the first two. I am the first to agree that our world is blessed with many tasty flavors of ice cream. However, vanilla has been my absolute favorite ever since I was born and, I am sure, will remain so for the rest of my days. In fact, I feel so strongly about vanilla that it is difficult for me to appreciate there are those who actually do not like its taste. How could someone who enjoys a good ice cream from time to time not even like the taste of vanilla? It is like someone describing themselves as a music lover, yet saying they do not like Mozart.

Just as there are many flavors of ice cream, thanks to our innovations in technology, there is also a growing number of ways for us to communicate in today's world. We have a range of choices. They help give us a wide variety of ways in how we can reach-out or connect with others - if that happens to be our desire. And, as in the case of ice cream, people have their own preferences. In my case, my favorite is in-person with email probably being a fairly close second. But I know there are those who prefer other ways, such as the telephone or Facebook. In fact, I currently work with someone who feels the same way about twitter as I do about about vanilla ice cream.  

They tweet all the time about most anything. For them, it works and that is fine. But only to a point. If everyone tweeted even half as much as this person, then this would not be an issue. The fact is not everyone does. Consequently, this lover of twitter is failing to connect with others simply because they are not tuned into the same "flavor"as he. Not a day passes when I do not remind myself that we can not treat how we communicate in the same way as the selection of ice cream we make. Eating ice cream is about ourselves. Communicating is about others. It is all about being flexible and sensitive to the so-called tastes of others.