Читать книгу The Story I Am - Roger Rosenblatt - Страница 11

Everyone’s Work Is Magnificent

This rule applies to those occasions when people, often total strangers, have decided that you are the one person on earth to assess the merits of their oil painting, cooking, wood carving, sand sculpture, dress design, electric train setup, love song, or the 30,000-line tragicomic epic poem they have composed on the life of John Gotti, that they have never shown anyone until today. They “know what an imposition” their request is. But they seek your “frank opinion” because they “really respect your judgment.” Here is your judgment:

“It’s magnificent.” Do not add a syllable. Shake their hand warmly, slap them on the back heartily, grin, and get out of there. If you believe that they wanted to hear anything other than “magnificent,” you need a lot more help than they do.

{ from the instruction book Rules for Aging }