TMI

Are you confused with some of the new abbreviations used in messaging or texting?  Oftentimes, I must look up the initials so I can understand the response or context of a comment.  Like the difference between LOL and ROFL... AFAIK and LMK... JK and JW.*

I remember the first time I heard someone say TMI in a conversation... looked it up... and then wondered what information was too much?

It seems that modern life has introduced several short cuts... in expressions and language, getting to a desired location, and how we enter or nurture relationships.

Have you ever wondered how something
-- or someone -- developed?
(Photo: Palm Trees at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau
National Historical Park, Hawaii - Larry Gardepie)

Seeing a crooked palm tree among a palm grove got my attention.  I thought, "That's interesting!"  I wondered how it grew so differently than the others:  Had it been lying on the ground before being planted upright?  Was its crookedness intentional?  Was something wrong with it?  Was it diseased?

Then I began noticing other palm trees, Ti plants, and ferns trying to break through the hardened lava landscape.  The energy to survive and flourish! "Isn't that interesting?" became a mantra as I explored the sacred area around Pu'uhounua o Honaunau, a place of refuge for Hawaiians who had broken kapu.

What is revealed when we notice?
(Photo: Night Flight into San Diego - Larry Gardepie)

As I noticed my surroundings, I found that I wanted to learn more:  the TMI (Too Much Information) of our abbreviated lexicon soon transformed into That's More Interesting than the previous discovery.  I wanted to ask questions, understand the differences, and explore what was being revealed.

I believe that is what society and community is about: the opportunity to share information and learn from one another.

Are we interested in seeing what is hidden?
(Photo:  Full Moon among Palm Trees - Larry Gardepie)

Abbreviations may simply be short cuts in a fast-paced, modern world.  But, there could be a risk in using them exclusively:  the meaning might be hidden or misunderstood if the other person isn't aware.  After all, your TMI might be interesting to me!

JW... are there any shortcuts you use that are helpful?

Questions to consider this week:  when we TMI each other (Wow!  Now it's a verb!), are we...

• Asking the other person to stop sharing... or... do we want to hear more?
• Saying we don't care... or... that we are interested?
• Trying to stop communicating.... or... we are ready to move ahead?
  

+ + + + + + + + + +

* You probably know many of the abbreviations cited above, but just in case:

• LOL = Laugh Out Loud
• ROFL = Rolling On The Floor Laughing
• AFAIK = As Far As I Know
• LMK = Let Me Know
• JK = Just Kidding
• JW = Just Wondering
  

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting