Mrs. Pisani, my 5th grade math teacher, would not be pleased. She was always after me to work on my basic math skills. But how could I resist the spiffy calculator in the thrift store for only a buck? This one was a real manly machine. Being addicted to bargains, I toyed with it. Of course, it's not like I have major math to do. I should have learned my basic sums earlier in life, but I never had the heart for practicing my multiplication tables. I got the plus and minuses okay but the rest sort of got lost in the shuffle. I furrowed my Einstein-like brow and poked at the calculator. I used to know these cool equations where the results would spell out words if you held it upside down. But now I just tried some simple stuff, like 2 + 2. The calculator said the answer was 2. I tried again: I do know the answer to this one, I thought. 2+2. The bright, shiny, manly calculator said... 2. Maybe if I pushed harder? Nope. Back away slowly from the former bargain, now known as junk.
Ahhh, the wonders of modern technology! We have devices that are supposed to figure everything out for us. I remember my older brother got a calculator when they first became trendy for high school students. He "needed it" for school. We tried to fool it but it was always right. I remember sneaking into his room to play with it. Imagine that, sneaking around to play with a calculator. The true dawn of the video game age?
Even when you think you know the answer, sometimes things just don't add up. You carefully take all the facts and put them together in a simple equation. But if you're like me, and not so good at math, things don't always add up. But 2 plus 2 is always 4, right? Well it depends if there is a decimal in there: it could be .4. It could be -4 too. How about 22? Of course, if the wrong person is pushing your buttons too hard, things rarely add up. So much for the facts.
Mrs. Pisani taught me something about life, even if she had to use a ruler on the back of my hand to get it through my thick skull. Always simplify before you do the work. If there is a way to extract the extraneous before you start thinking, your thoughts will be clearer. Look at the problem from the big picture -- does the answer have to be perfect or can you guesstimate? Sometimes close enough counts. But when it doesn't, take time to reduce the problem to the lowest common denominators before you start figuring. And for goodness sake, don't let others push your buttons; it's your problem to solve. All of the advice in the world won't help you do something you don't want to do in your heart.
So before you get lost in the math, ask what is the basic problem. Will it help me/them to feel better? To love more? Are the risks of getting the wrong answer too high or can I just try anyway? Even manly men get stuck. If you simplify first, sometimes the answer is clear. You may not get it right but you'll feel a lot better about the wrong. It's about showing your work. At the end of the day, you need to be happiest with you. I think it's called heart math.
When things don't add up, simplify. Start with the fundamentals. Do unto others, be kind, love more and hate less. Share, pray and be grateful. Be honest and true to yourself. The world isn't perfect and neither are you. Pretty simple to add up. No calculator required.