She says the movie looks dumb; you suddenly agree. She tests you with a little attitude; you apologize for nothing.
You think you're being easy to get along with. She reads something else entirely: a man with no edges. Nothing to hold on to. No friction, no tension, no reason to wonder what he really thinks.
The "22 Rules" taught me to push back — playfully, calmly, without needing her approval. Strange things happened after that.
When people were arrested for not wearing masks (outside), and church services were forced to disband, I would say freedoms were taken. A lot of it seemed like a test run to see what people would tolerate, and they would tolerate a lot.
Three seconds. That's how long it took. Your shoes. Your posture. The way you held your drink. Whether you looked at the floor or looked at her.
She already filed you away. Interesting. Boring. Safe. Bold. Before you even opened your mouth.
Everything you say after that is just her confirming what she already decided.
So stop rehearsing lines. Fix the first three seconds. Stand tall. Look up. Smile like you mean it. Walk like you belong wherever you're standing.
The words come later. The impression comes first.
Where did this happen?
All in person gatherings were limited capacity. Nothing specific to church.
Test run for what?
There have been many occurrences of this. The incident below got quite a bit of press:
Churches were deemed unessential. Liquor stores were not. But many people were forced to close their businesses during the pandemic.
Test run for taking more freedoms, which really translates into grabbing more power for themselves. Who are they? The state, the oligarchy, the elite, the politicians.
She was asked multiple times to put on a mask or leave the venue. She refused.
This is misleading. Churches moved to virtual services because they could not meet capacity restrictions and still operate. How does a church host service while indoor public gatherings are restricted?
Governments don’t need a pandemic to “take freedoms.” Are implying this was globally orchestrated?
I recall one case where they were holding a drive in service, and the police came and broke it up.
I'm not big on conspiracy theories, although I'm sure there is more happening behind the scenes on a global scale than we know.
You asked her if she wanted to grab coffee. Then you asked if the time worked. Then you asked if the place was okay. Then you asked if she'd prefer tea.
Four questions. Four chances for her to say no. Four signals that you're terrified of making a decision.
Plan it. Pick the place. Pick the time. Tell her where to meet you. She'll either show up or she won't.
Either way, you look like a man instead of a scared little boy.
One thing they knew people would not tolerate is liquor store closures.