"From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines, going where I list, my own master total and absolute, Listening to others, considering well what they say, Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating, Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me."
Walt Whitman (1819-92)
"When I look back now over my life and call to mind what I might have had simply for taking and did not take, my heart is like to break."
Akhenaton (d. c.1354 BC)
And now, the current weather, from some random person we pulled off the street:
Thursday, April 10, 2003
If you are not careful, you’ll find yourself running around in your underwear
cau-tion Function: noun
Etymology: Latin caution-, cautio precaution, from cavEre to be on one's guard
Date: 1596
1 : prudent forethought to minimize risk
2 : what you should always have in business relationships
The company chairman came in today for a couple of hours at the end of the day. The last half hour of my day was spent talking to him, which is usually an interesting experience to say the least.
He has a talent that I have seen in few people. He can draw your innermost thoughts out in a very short time and you have no idea it happened. One second you are chatting with him as a friend, then all of a sudden you realize that you are more like a kid running around in your underwear. I have seen it happen over and over, and he’s marvelous to watch.
Unless its you under the magnifying glass. Then it gets really uncomfortable, if you know its happening.
Like today, he was asking me how I felt and how I was dealing with the bipolar. So I answered honestly, I felt pretty awful, my meds were bothering me but I was getting along. We talked about how important taking the meds is, and how important it is to have a support group of friends and family, because he has some friends that went off the meds with predictably disastrous results.
Then came the clincher. “What if you had another job, one totally not like this one, would that help you feel better?” And we had not mentioned the job’s effect on me.
That was the trigger question, the rest had been just the prelude. And as soon as he said it I knew it. Fortunately right at that moment someone else walked in and the topic was lost.
That was a good thing, there was no good outcome from that question. Not with the company chairman. I don’t like running around in my underwear.
The words 'I am...' are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you're claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you.
A. L. Kitselman
