"Head in the sand" … Is it a figure of speech or words to live by?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Over the years, Black has had no problem telling Red that ignoring something doesn't make it go away, but that doesn't stop Red from wanting a break, at least temporarily, from all the recent negative news … and from Black's sarcastic comments.
Red will be the first to admit that she was always an ostrich with her head in the sand, wanting to not only avoid situations by pretending they didn't exist, but sometimes to go a step further and acknowledge they existed but to avoid conflict would ignore them anyway. It was just Red's "default setting" for the first 40 years of her life, until …
Years ago, when my husband got fired, Black pulled my ostrich head out of the sand and forced me to grow up. At first, I resisted, but over time I realized that it was for the best. But there are times when things become overwhelming, or I'm tired, or I can't stand hearing or watching any more bad news, so I choose to be a "temporary" ostrich. The difference is I now know to come up (figuratively) for air.
And while Red was being warm and fuzzy (and, as usual, a tad sensitive), Black couldn't help being pragmatic and sarcastic (that's her "default setting"),
Besides the fact they would not be able to breathe, it is a mistaken belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when frightened, thinking that helps them avoid being seen. Although as a child, Red would often close her eyes tightly, scrunching up her face, and insisting we could no longer see her.
Meanwhile, Black was curious about the origins of the "ostrich" comparison and, although she couldn't find out who started it, did find an interesting explanation from, believe it or not, Ripley's.
Labor Day celebrates the American worker. However you may celebrate, we wish you a Happy Labor Day!
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."
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