Life is like a bull in a china shop. And he's only there to get some nice plates...

First off, allow me to apologize, my beloved readers. It has been far too long since I have graced you with my presence. Odds are, those of you who read this won't even notice this new post is up. Oh well. Back to my cynical roots for this post, folks.

You ever get the feeling that no matter what you do, you're going to be wrong? The old "walking on eggshells" adage, or even the "bull in the china shop" metaphor seems right. If you do something, even the littlest thing wrong, everything goes to hell. And then you've got a store full of broken plates, with an Asian man yelling at you that you need to pay for what you broke. OK, so not all china shop owners are Asian, but hey, a guy can dream, right?

If you're stuck in such a situation, often between 2 parties, where no matter what you do can be considered wrong by someone's standards, what should you do? Standing there is an option. Can't break nothing if you're not touching anything. Can't hurt any feelings by sitting there. Or can you? Sometimes sitting there is just as bad as making a decision. As people will preach, non-doing is just as important as choosing an action. Because you're choosing not to act. But where's the fun in that?

Then there is the other half of the spectrum. You pick a side. You take one person's opinion over the other, and listen to them. Often, in these situations, you're not thinking for yourself. You're listening to what other people think. And you end up with a bigger situation on your hands. To go back to the bull in the china shop comparison, you've just smashed a priceless vase. Can you put it back together? Sometimes. But what if you can't? Then you're screwed. All because you listened to someone else, and decided to pick a side.

So that's it, huh? You either pick a side, or you don't do anything. Wrong. There is a third option. It's ballsy, but it works. The third option is to create your own third road. You can listen to what other people think, and do what they want you to, or you can just stand there and hope the situation all blows over with time, or you can develop a solution that works for you. Is this always the best option? Probably not. but if you find ways to not get into situations stuck between two extremes, by looking out for yourself, then hot damn, I think we've got a winner.

I'm not saying that you should be an aloof, loner, who only looks out for his best interests. Let some altruism in, but try not to get panicked in situations between two people. Sometimes being honest, and nipping it all in the bud can defuse a potential H-bomb over Hiroshima (too soon?). Just by having the courage to say something of your own accord, and not simply parroting what a single side has said can make all the difference.

But nothing is without consequences. If there were no consequences, you wouldn't have gotten stuck in this situation in the first place. So be prepared for fallout from whatever you decide to do. But a little fallout is better than destroying the entire china shop.

If you mess with life, you'll get the horns. Try not to get impaled. After all, that's a lovely set of charger plates behind you.