assumption gumption

What happened...

Restaurant customer: (sarcastically) "Psalm 27... Why do people do that...? Yet another scripture Facebook status."

Waittress: (exuberantly, after overhearing only the concluding sentence) Oh I love that one!

RC: (taken off-guard) What, Psalm 27?

W: Yes, it's a song in my heart!

RC: (mildly shocked at the quickly formed false-assumption of a shared, common interest) You wrote a song about a scripture?

W: (proudly) Well, I have it memorized in my heart and then the Lord gave me a melody to go along with it.

RC: I see.

W: Where do you go to church?

RC: (with direct eye contact) I don't.

W: (suprised, yet unaware of her outward nonverbal display of sympathetic condecension) Oh... looking around then?

RC: (with direct eye contact and firm resolve) Nope. Used to go, but don't anymore.

W: (embarassed pause searching for an appropriate response) Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you.

RC: (smiling) No, not at all.

W: So, are you ready to order...?

What should have happened...

Restaurant customer: (sarcastically) "Psalm 27... Why do people do that? Another scripture Facebook status."

Waittress: (cautiously) Are you a fan of the Psalms?

RC: Nope. Not my area of interest.

W: I see. Are you ready to order?

Insight...

Supervise your assumptions. They're out-of-line at times. Some are more certainly addicted to certainty than others. No one likes to be thrust into uncomfortable situations due to a lack of awareness of the thoughts, feelings, and potential preferences of others. Pay attention.

Resist your misplaced gumption toward assumption.

Observe. Think. Pause. Act.

©2011 Tom Leu