The last time that happened to me I was trying to find an establishment that was new to my area. I was meeting a potential business partner, and was trying to get there early to make a good impression. I mean I had really done my homework, knew what he preferred to drink, the tempo that was ideal, everything was planned out perfectly. The idea was to show up early learn a few names, order a few rounds to get the server in the habit of offering instead of inquiring. I can hear the exchange now, “Kerry I’m going to bring you another one of these”, as Fiona my waitress leaned over the small table to pick up my glass. I of course would reply, “thanks fee, can you get my guest a Vieux Carré” she would say “sure be right back”. As you could imagine a lot of thought went into this initial meeting, every detail was considered.
So where did it go off course? The establishment was weeks old, so google didn’t have an accurate location for it. So, I resorted to getting directions from a friend about the location and best routes to take. As always Pictionary began with street names and landmarks, but quickly digressed to turn right from there then turn left at the sign and make a left at the building with bushes on the corner. At this point I was starting to wonder if these directions would get me to my desired location, or the set of stranger things. After 45 minutes of direction, I was convinced I could find the place even if there were at least two buildings in this area I had never seen. See, this part of the city was very familiar to me, I knew almost every alley, corner store, and recreational area as I grew up in that area. None the less I still allowed myself to believe both, my friends directions were clear, and I could identify where the place was exactly in my mind’s eye. That went on, until I got behind the wheel of my car and asked myself where I was going and how to get there from where I was at that moment as I always do.
Talk about a moment of clarity…
There was no clarity, no direction, no insightful suggestions to recall. I was lost the 45 minutes that had been invested was thrown away. I was about to lose the business opportunity I had worked so hard to secure. All I could think about was why I hadn’t understood, why I hadn’t figured out another way to insure I knew where it was. What had gone wrong? Had I not heard it the “right way”, had the information been gathered in a confused frustrating manner peppered with distractions and misguidances? Then I remembered something my music teacher said several times a day, “with understanding comes clarity”. That thought washed over me like a hot shower, I hadn’t understood what was conveyed, I had understood pieces but not the majority, I hadn’t assimilated the information rendered. As that truth grew and transformed every facet of the “directions” conversation, clarity began to infest every part of my thoughts. It led me from explaining what a letter was to the short people I live with, to exploring computer programming and the many explanations for array manipulation . After what felt like hours of reflections, I came to one finite point. The point is, if you truly understand something then you should be able to explain it accurately and simply. Also the reverse is true, if you can explain something accurately, and simply then you possess a full understanding of it.
DID YOU CATCH THAT?
