Have you lost your mind?

Yesterday, while standing in line at a hot dog stand, there was a young couple in front of me. It might have been a first date since the girl was quiet and the guy seemed rather fidgety.

At some point, as we inched closer to the front of the line, I noticed the guy was getting sweaty and acting weird, and after a moment, he gingerly reached behind her and slid his hand down her butt and cupped it. Uh-oh!

Rightfully, she pulled away with a “WTF?” jaw drop followed by, “Have you lost your f-ing mind?” Oops! I guess he wasn’t expecting that. Maybe he believed Trump when he said girls liked it when you just grab ‘em.

Later, on my drive home, a new billboard featuring a huge, sizzling pizza caught my eye. It said: LOVE AT FIRST BITE. TASTEBUDS GO WILD WHILE YOU LOSE YOUR MIND.

I’ll probably try it sometime to see if I DO lose my mind.

When I get home, something’s not right since it’s after dark, and a whole bunch of neighbors who never talk to each other are all hovering on my front lawn like something big happened.

Turns out, Bill Barkley, who lives across the street, added a lawn sign that no one agrees with.

Before I could see what it was, these folks had their liver in one massive boil. One said, “Well now, he’s sure gone off his rocker it seems!” Another replied, “You darn right…totally lost his mind…like he’s got that dementia.” Another said, “Well, I’m not putting up with this sort of disrespect. We don’t need no crazies around here.”

So, I went to have myself a look at what stirred up this hornet’s nest, and there it was. Something colorful that said, “Happy you’re here.” See the image above. My oh my!

That was a lot of stuff yesterday about folks losing their mind, and it got me thinking. What does that even mean? Is it the same thing as “taking leave of your senses” or “going off the rails”—what do any of those things even translate into behavior-wise? And why is everyone accusing everyone else of losing it? The mob last night seemed like they were the ones that lost their cookies.

So here’s what I’m thinking. Temporary insanity is not permanent. But it happens, and it’s an uncomfortable place for anyone to be in. That’s why the young man at the hot dog place was sweating during the process of losing self control. I’m not excusing his behavior any more than I excuse Trump’s, but Trump suffers from something more permanent since he rants all day long on social media.

We all lose our cool from time to time. You just have to avoid people who know how to push your buttons.

As for my neighbors, well, they suffer from a different kind of madness known as homophobia and xenophobia, but phobias are considered a neurosis of sorts and often lead to cruelty and violence.

I don’t know if I’m going to lose my mind over the pizza or not, but I’ll let you know. In the meantime, keep your hands to yourself unless invited to do otherwise. And if you hate others, you need to fix that...or it'll eat you up.

To fix it, be a man of genuine courage (or woman) and try to talk to those folks who scare you, and really listen. Maybe you’ll discover they’re not the big boogey man you make them out to be after all.

Then, just maybe, they’ll think the world of you and give you a helping hand when you get old and start losing it for real. That’s what good neighbors are known to do.