Banana peels―the fun facts are that they are much more slippery than other fruit peels because when pressure is applied they release a gel comprised of polysaccharide molecules. Slick to walk on? Supposedly.

When my son was about two years old, he pretended that he was slipping on something. I couldn’t imagine what that something was, but then I noticed that it looked like he was throwing an invisible object over this shoulder right before he did the pretend slip. Ah-ha!!! He was slipping on banana peels!

Banana peels form up humor in my head. They are organically medicinal in stressful situations, and here is a story that shows how that can work.

Jonathon is a home office micro-manager who often goes into deep dark moods that manifest into angry lashings out at his employees. His fiery darts include accusations of past issues with facts that are misconstrued. How sad is that for Jonathon’s crew (and Jonathon as well)? It is sad for anyone that deals with emotional abuse, and it is truly abusive when someone’s anger and words are used to manipulate the outcome of others.

Jonathon’s people just keep on trucking, meaning, they try to put one foot in front of the other as they do their best work while on the clock…and sprinkled in-between their efforts and the lashings from their boss, Mr. J. himself, they lean on other team members for mental support.

So, recently someone reached out to me for moral support and I replied, “He is the one with the (emotional) problem, not you. It is not an easy feat, but you have to guard your mental health. Remember this, It is NOT YOU! He is not you!“

A week later, someone said, “Jonathon’s house has gone bananas!” My reply? Words rolled out that surprised me. I said, do not slip on their banana peels!

Don’t slip on someone else’s banana peels!

Let them be bananas, crazy, obscene, irrational, and belligerent! You don’t have to go there!

The next time someone asks you what your mental boundary looks like―picture a wall of banana peels.

Occasionally, you might consider throwing an invisible banana skin in front of the person giving you grief. Don’t forget to pray for them while doing so. Oh, and pray for yourself too! It is all good.

Don’t be abusive, just let them slip. Give them space. Don’t absorb their behavior. Let them learn. We wish them no harm, right?

Life is too short. Humor is good.

Don’t forget the banana peels!