Aww, Somebody Needs a Shrug!

Shrug

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “shrug?” No doubt a picture of apathy, an “I could (or couldn’t) care less” attitude – You know, the reaction you get when try to explain to the underpaid counter clerk that “No Mayo” doesn’t mean Extra Mayo, but no tomato, lettuce, or bacon. Maybe to you, a shrug denotes negativity.

Today I am here to tell you that a shrug is a positive thing!

Let me give you an example. Take the fellow waiting anxiously at the curb for a taxi; he has a date and he’s running late. The cab not only doesn’t stop for him, it splashes through a puddle and drenches our hapless fellow. Now, he COULD rant, he could yell, but what good would it do? Instead, this fellow just shrugs, and he feels immediate relief. He refuses to let a splatter that lasted a couple seconds ruin his evening. With the help of a good dry cleaner later on, his suit won’t be ruined either. Years later, he is happily married to the woman who found her smudged, slightly soggy, but still smiling date quite charming.

There are a lot of puddles out there. You’re going to get splashed; you might even get soaked. Shrug it off. 

Here’s a second example of a good shrug. Ever watch a power lifter just before he does his thing? He shrugs! Perhaps he says to himself, “This is nothing, this is easy,” as he rolls his burly shoulders. The next thing you know, the bar is up in the air, and he’s underneath it. Maybe the shrug was psychological, or maybe just to warm up the trapeziums. But it worked! Another heavy load lifted. Try it! You CAN handle that weight!  

Finally, a shrug is universally translated as “Beats me,” or, “I don’t know,” or, “Who knows?” And you know what? That’s okay, too. Nobody knows it all. So, if you don’t know, say so. Shrug. There, that’s a load off.  And while you’ve just revealed that you are human, guess what? A lot of folks actually like humans. You’ll be alright.

So, go ahead, give yourself a big shrug.

Think of SHRUG as an acronym for Sure Handed, Reliable, Unflappable, and …. Uh….. I don’t know. There, I just shrugged! And I feel good.