February has roared onto the scene with a fury of activity that all began with a rat and his shadow - not to be confused with Me and My Shadow.
The month opened-up with news about the most over-exposed resident of Punxsutawney, PA, and his evil prophecy for the continuance of this bleak winter. He delivered this prophetic news to the throngs of on-lookers and shut-ins; watching from behind their iron-barred windows, no doubt surrounded by cats and stacks of old newspapers. How many of these adulating fans wouldn't hesitate to send ol' Phil to his maker upon meeting him on a cold night, rummaging through their trash cans? Anyway, the scene culminates as a group of what I can only describe as 'a gaggle of Monopoly Men' - sporting tall, black top-hats and tails - crowd around the holy one for the highly sought-after photo-op. This is what I assume is pure Punxsutawney fun at its best.
Thinking about these events, I'm reminded of Bill Murray's (he's everywhere) beautiful description of this sight, "A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat."
This is all interesting in that this fanfare played-out as the backdrop of my latest sidetrack. To be fair, it wasn't so much the rat & company, but the timing of its appearance that I now associate with my moment of weakness. This moment led to a brief stint into the dark depths of my old ways.
I'm starting to realize that superficially judging people and drawing conclusions based on the actions of others is one of the characteristics I'm working to change about myself. During my days as a back-room dealer of what someone once angrily described as "half-truths," I found that contacting people was easy. The political world orbits around, among other things, the Blackberry, and the immediacy of communication that little miracle provides. This usually meant that when I sent someone a message, their response was in my inbox before I could shake a stick (which upon further reflection, I don't recall actually shaking a stick). However, I'm starting to learn that this mode of operation does not exist in the outside world - among normal people, that is.
Sometimes it's difficult to recognize that people work on their own timelines and we never really know what others may have going on in their life. While the eyes of the world were intently locked on that fat critter in Pennsylvania (that may be a bit over-dramatic), I found that I was upset over the fact that others weren't operating on my timeline. I felt that I had once again put myself "out there" and was upset that it wasn't unfolding the way I had anticipated. Well, as it usually does, the universe planted its boot right on my ass and forced me to realize that my perceptions were based on insecurity and selfishness. I now understand that my brain and my heart were not seeing eye-to-eye and that attempting to endlessly analyze people (especially the eternally perplexing mystery of women) isn't the journey I set out on; learning to be more understanding and tolerant is my goal.
So the bus that I'm traveling on made a dramatic, if not brief detour into a ditch. After some deep reflection and conversation, I was able to recognize my stupidity - a process that I now fully embrace - and get back on track and ready to move forward. After all, we're all just people, right?
As I leave that bitter dose of self-doubt, self-loathing, and Madonna's Super Bowl half-time show behind, I head straight into the Valentine's Day quagmire - a fun-filled day for single people everywhere.
Cocktail of the week:
Mojito Sparkler
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Bruise 6 fresh mint leaves in the bottom.
Add 2 ounces of rum.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of fine sugar.
Top off with club soda.
1 wedge of lime.
Enter the pearly gates.
This refreshing dose of heaven must be enjoyed to the sounds of Brian Wilson (the mad genius) and the Beach Boys.
Happy Tuesday!
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