Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Just One More Thing
By: Donovan Baldwin
Don't know how many readers are familiar with "Columbo", the television crime series from the 70's, starring Peter Falk.
Police homicide detective, Lieutenant Frank Columbo (Trivia: How can you know that's his first name?*) had a "catch phrase" that viewers waited for, "Just one more thing..."
In the midst of apparently bumbling and fumbling his way through solving a crime, he would spend time with the suspect, start to leave, and then turn and say it.
A few "one more things" added up to a conviction in the end.
While some of us suddenly have big things happen; plane crashes, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, most of life is made up of "just one more thing".
We, whether asking, or being asked for a favor, or a little help, tend to think of it as "just one small thing". However, to the person being asked, it is "one more thing" that they have to add to their list of things to be done.
So, being refused for "such a simple thing" may not be as simple as it seems at the moment.
We seldom know all that is going on in someone's life, or that they have already had to deal with leading up to our request. They may already have a huge list of "one more things" to do, or that they have done, and, our simple little request, may not seem so simple or easy to them.
They may want very much to help you out, but simply cannot.
Maybe helping them out by not asking for "one more thing", or maybe by doing something for them instead, may help them solve their case and figure out how to get on with their life more easily.
*Oh, Lieutenant Columbo's first name? Although never actually part of any story, it shows up on his police credentials.
Police homicide detective, Lieutenant Frank Columbo (Trivia: How can you know that's his first name?*) had a "catch phrase" that viewers waited for, "Just one more thing..."
In the midst of apparently bumbling and fumbling his way through solving a crime, he would spend time with the suspect, start to leave, and then turn and say it.
A few "one more things" added up to a conviction in the end.
While some of us suddenly have big things happen; plane crashes, hurricanes, terrorist attacks, most of life is made up of "just one more thing".
We, whether asking, or being asked for a favor, or a little help, tend to think of it as "just one small thing". However, to the person being asked, it is "one more thing" that they have to add to their list of things to be done.
So, being refused for "such a simple thing" may not be as simple as it seems at the moment.
We seldom know all that is going on in someone's life, or that they have already had to deal with leading up to our request. They may already have a huge list of "one more things" to do, or that they have done, and, our simple little request, may not seem so simple or easy to them.
They may want very much to help you out, but simply cannot.
Maybe helping them out by not asking for "one more thing", or maybe by doing something for them instead, may help them solve their case and figure out how to get on with their life more easily.
*Oh, Lieutenant Columbo's first name? Although never actually part of any story, it shows up on his police credentials.
Labels: Columbo, detective, donovan baldwin, just one more thing, Lieutenant Columbo, Peter Falk
