Got invited today to a special bday party. A dear friend asked my wife and I to come to her uncle's bday wearing costumes. It is October, but since dressing up is a thing of the past for people my age, I found the request weird. That was so, until I met the uncle.
Have you ever met someone, and almost immediately you can recognized kindness and innocence? Well, that is exactly how it happened. I doubt Joselito has been diagnosed professionally, but this man approaching 70 reminded me of a bright child, both in charisma and kindness.
There was a couple there, sitting in the corner not talking to anyone. I felt almost obliged to say something and "incorporate them" into the rest of the gathering, so I sat next to them.
My suspicions were right, and five minutes into the conversation my new British friend began sharing intimate details.
Why am I sharing this, I can almost hear you asking. Well, because the fact that he shared some painful experiences with a stranger, with me, and did so with a smile, made me appreciate the human brain even more.
It seems that we are wired to justify things. I, for example, do feel tempted to tell you that me losing the laptop was the best thing that could have happened to me. Doing so is quite easy.
Telling you that having that computer is too big of a distraction might be a serviceable justification my brain can concoct. But, because I attempt to operate in personal honesty, I will leave that silly idea there.
Picture this new friend I made surrounded by a crowd that is chatting away in a language he does not know a lick of, holding the hand of a latin lady who he can't understand. A nervous smile adorns his face, as he looks around to find a member of his tribe among the attendees.
"I've been here for a month... it's the best thing I've done in my life"
ten minutes later...
"My wife leaving me has been a blessing... I wouldn't be here now otherwise"
ten minutes later...
"I worked too much... left her alone all the time. I did not work on our marriage enough"
ten minutes later...
"But hey... look at the hot mama I'm with right now"
I should say, before someone decides stamping the asshole label on me would be justified. I'm saying this not to make fun of him or anything of the sort. All of us, without exception, have dealt with similar levels of coping. We've all attempted to extract happiness from the claws of calamity on our darkest hours, and this is why I admire the brain's mechanism to do so.
That sounds like a Book title, but not a good book per say; More like those self help books the grifters love to sell.
"How to extract Happiness from the Claws of Calamity" A Full guide, with pictures and examples.
Getting ready for today's blackout with a cup of coffee in hand, and a mind full of the desire to share.
What else can I do but to castigate this blog of mine with my mental excretions...
MenO