I’m intrigued by signs. Not the zodiac kind, but the ones posted on walls, doors, windows and sidewalks.
Some are amusing, like a restaurant announcing that “tables are for eating customers only” or “soup of the day: beer.”
Others aren’t intended to be funny but can’t help themselves. Consider the hotel sign providing breakfast hours and reminding guests that “shirts, pants & shoes required.”
Pants? Really? Apparently, the obvious isn’t always so obvious to everyone.
But what about the signs that aren’t so obvious?
There’s the friend who stops returning calls, the child who says, “I’m fine” while their expression suggests otherwise, or the gregarious colleague who suddenly grows quiet. Internally, there’s the exhaustion that another cup of coffee can’t fix.
These signs don’t come with printed instructions. They’re subtle shifts in behavior, mood or energy, and they’re easy to miss when you’re distracted, preoccupied or simply moving too fast.
Some signs deserve a chuckle, others deserve your attention and a few may change everything.
The difference is recognizing that not every important sign is obvious, and not every obvious sign is important.
So this week, slow down enough to notice what’s changed. Check in on the person who seems different. Listen beyond the words someone speaks. And pay attention to what your own mind and body may be telling you.
You don’t have to interpret every signal correctly, but you do have to be willing to look.
Own the day. Own the weekend.
Carl
