In times of novelty and unknowing, you almost always wonder if you are doing the right thing simply because you've never done that before and you don't know much about it. When this happens, you typically tread gently, rely on experts, consult friends and family, pay attention to your values, and do your best. In society, we have many laws, protocols, policies, and processes in place to ensure that we do the right thing, and that often helps when it comes to new situations. For example, I have jury duty soon. It's been a long, long time since I've had jury duty and once when I had jury duty, I made a dumb, embarrassing mistake, so I'm a bit nervous about it. But, I'll rely on the protocols and people in place to guide me, and unlike the time when I made the dumb mistake, I'll tread gently and listen carefully so I don't make the same or a similar mistake.
Right now I'm treading in another venue that's mostly novel. I want to do a good job because this effort means a lot to me. As I continue down this road, what's most important includes the following:
- paying attention to the experts, and following their guidance
- using loving, kind words, expressions, and gestures
- being present in thoughtful, loving ways
- respecting the fact that people will deal with this situation in a variety of differing personal ways
