Getting it wrong when you are trying so hard to do right

A man asked his wife what she’d like for her birthday. “I’d love to be six again,” she replied.

After a string of unsuccessful birthdays, he wanted to knock this one out of the park. On the morning of her birthday, he got her up bright and early and off they went to a local theme park. They rode all the rides, laughed, got their faces painted, played some games, and ate a tonne of junk food.

After the park, they went to the playground where they flew kites, blew bubbles, and rolled down the grassy hills. For lunch, he took her to McDonalds where he bought her a happy meal and a chocolate shake. It was a long day and on the ride home, she fell asleep in the car. When they got home, he parked under a shady tree, rolled down all the windows, and let her have a car nap like they used to let the kids do when they were little. He sat in the front seat and read a book.

She woke with a gentle breeze caressing her face. She looked over at her husband with a smile. He looked over and smiled. He said, “Well, dear, what was it like being six again?” She stretched and said, “It was a lovely day, darling, but I did mean my dress size.”

Kathy, an efficiency expert, had concluded her guest lecture on ‘Making repetitive tasks efficient’ but ended with a caution. “Whatever you do,” she said, “you don’t want to try these techniques at home.”

“Why not?” asked someone from the audience.

Kathy sighed and said, “I watched my husband’s routine at breakfast for years. I noticed that he made lots of trips between the refrigerator, stove, table and cabinets, often carrying a single item at a time. One day I told him, ‘Hon, why don’t you try carrying several things at once?'”

“Did it save time?” the person in the audience asked.

“Actually, yes,” replied Kathy “It used to take him 20 minutes to make breakfast. Now I do it in seven.”