Seeing one of my boys a little down in the dumps, I approached him calmly and proceeded to surprise tickle him. Thinking that this treatment would lift my child’s spirits, I was disappointed and somewhat embarrassed to see that it made him gently cry.  Hmmm.  Loser dad?  Not necessarily.

Later, my wife kindly spoke to me and asked me not to take it the wrong way, but sometimes I can be a “lamp without a shade.” No worries, I get it.  Sometimes my supernova attempts at happiness might not be the best tactic.  Hmmm.  Shall I hide it under a bushel?  Not all the time.

Different situations call for different solutions and sometimes even bright happy lights sometimes need a shade. Hmmm.  Get it, pops?  Yes, slowly getting it.