Here’s What I’d Put on a Billboard

Daily writing prompt

If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

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Say somebody gave me a billboard for a month. Say I could put anything I wanted on the billboard. Say it would be seen by thousands of folks every day. What would I put on the billboard? This.

YOU’RE COOLER THAN YOU THINK!

At first, when I saw this prompt, I thought oh, let’s exhort people to be kinder or enlighten them in some important way. Years ago, a local homeless shelter director put “Room Temperature for the Homeless” on a billboard donated by a big company for the winter. A thermometer ran along the side of the billboard – super effective. So, I like that one a lot.

But what really came to me was reminding people they’re cooler, smarter, more savvy, funnier, and more important than they think they are. I think there’s a major self-confidence deficit in the world. Oh, there’s a lot of braggadocio around, people full of hot air and themselves, blowing smoke from dawn to dusk. They’re mostly fakeroos as my husband would say. Don’t pay them no never mind says my Grandma Boyes.

Us folks bumping along in life put two confident feet forward and one self-doubting foot back. Don’t even try to tell me that’s not true. I know all about this stuff.

So, I think having a sign that says, “You’re Cooler than You Think!” is right on target. Being cool is an all-encompassing state of being. If you’re cool, you’ve got it going.

I’m pretty cool. Not totally. But pretty much.

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Photo by Charlie Deets on Unsplash