Saturday, May 19, 2012

Let Me Out

It is one of man's curious idiosyncrasies to create difficulties for the pleasure of resolving them.

Joseph de Maistre
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Hello Bruce
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When will I ever learn?

When I was a tot, still in the crawling league, out of curiosity I stuck my head in between the posts on the banister of a flight of stairs. When I couldn't remove it I cried. My mother came to see what the trouble was and said "You got your head in there, you've got to get it out." With great difficult and discomfort I did. And did I learn my lesson?

I have been getting myself into impassible fixes as often as I could for the past 6 or 7 decades. I am a great authority in how to get myself extricated from awful problems that I have created for myself. But, as for knowing how to prevent getting into them in the first place, I'm a dunce.

I am trying hard, even as you read this, to free myself from another such head squeezing mess. How did I get into it? I don't know. I made a miscalculation about someone one day and from there it has grown like a weed with the help of the subconscious spider.

Why do we do those things? Is it because we're stupid? Or is it because life isn't interesting enough? Or are we all amateur Houdinis as de Maistre suggests, giving ourselves painful challenges just for the joy of solving them, putting ourselves in life threatening situations for the pleasure of surviving, getting stuck in some desperate bondage that we can't get out of just for the glee of escaping?

Every time I work my way out of some trap I've set for myself I give thanks that I've learned my lesson and go on my eccentric, vagabond way knowing that I wont let it happen to me again. Ah, but the subconscious spider is already at work preparing my next disaster. And when I get caught in it I know that one day I will be able to raise my arms and shout "free at last," But for how long?

At least now, when I see a mountain, instead of trying to climb it, I walk around it or I turn an go the other way.

To those of you who keep getting your heads stuck between life's banister posts, I say "I know, I know. Grow up. Knock it off. Take it from me. Don't do it."

I wish you a safe and simple weekend

DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
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1 comment:

Ken Riches said...

I think the key is to look ahead, but be aware of what is behind as well.