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By Traci Long
They say opposites attract; it sure seems true with me and my husband. My parents were structured, his were wild. My upbringing was very stable, his was erratic. I was sheltered while he was taught to swim by being thrown in. We've been married 22 years and we still see things very differently.
When my husband is working at home, I typically watch and help with tools. Very often, at some point during the project, I'll say "you need to watch that or you're going to get hurt." And within a minute or so, an accident occurs. It's visible enough to see in advance and communication the risk. He finally asked me to stop telling him, so he stops getting hurt. That truly reminds me of The Matrix when the Oracle tells Neo "what's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?"
Even with trust and communication fully intact, habit and instincts can trump safety, especially in the absence of structured rules and procedures. While some clumsiness can be entertaining in the right circumstances, there is always a possibility for real injury. Do you communicate obvious risks to your family and friends, or only to your colleagues?
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