The gray-haired man that was getting his hair cut was really angry. He had just gotten fired from a restaurant where he used to work as a waiter. Guests had been complaining about his attitude and I could clearly see why. He said he couldn’t work under a supervisor that must hate men, referring to the supervisor’s attitude.
Isn’t that often the case? One gets upset about someone or something and transfers it to someone else that doesn’t have anything to do with it, like the guests at the restaurant or the nice lady that was cutting his hair. It seemed like they knew each other, he was probably a returning customer and she had heard about his complaints before.
- Is my attitude really that bad? he asked her.
She hesitated before she answered:
- Well, maybe not THAT bad.
Why do people ask others about their opinions when they actually might get an honest answer? Why even ask if we already know the answer? So we can get comfort from our own critical mind about ourselves or that we might be right when we blame others for our own short comings? Or maybe people believe the same thing as I did for a long time, and still do sometimes, that it is important for my existence that people understand me. But does it really matter? Does it change anything?
I was sitting on the chair next to this angry man, having a haircut myself.
- You should go diving, I told him.
He looked at me, surprised about being interrupted.
- What?
- You should go diving!
And I continued:
- You need a break from this world. So you should go underwater! That’s what I do when I need to get away and forget about people and problems.
The man, who had started to breathe again, said he is a diver but he hasn’t been diving in a long time.
We have people like that coming into our dive store quite often. “I used to dive, but it’s been a long time since then”. I feel sorry for those people who have lost their diving. Scuba diving is an ever changing sport that gives you different experiences every time you dive. It is a sport you can continue doing even after your 70th birthday. I especially see men being more than 70 years old on the dive charters, either diving alone or with a friend. And do they have fun!!
I don’t think any of us want to grow old, being bitter and angry, blaming others for our bad life. I think most people want to look back on their lives and smile at happy memories. Doing what you love the most, what makes your attitude change is an investment for the future!
We welcome all of you in to take a “Scuba Skills Update” for those of you who are scuba divers, but hasn’t been diving in a while. Bring a friend or more, it is always more fun to do any kind of classes with friends!
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