Life is curious, isn't it? We humans make decisions - good and bad....... we humans perform deeds every minute of every day - some wise, some so-very-not-wise - sometimes forgetting that every action carries with it a consequence.....or consequences......that affect people other than the "doer" of the deed(s). We forget that our wake-wave travels miles before it smooths out and cannot be detected. Sometimes we act before we think. Too bad we don't always think before we act.
And so it is with life.
Try hard as we might, the best laid plans of mice and men do not always turn out as we envisioned or planned. Some mess-ups are self-inflicted and some mess-ups are inflicted upon us by other people . I'm not certain which type of mess-up is harder to deal with, although with the self-inflicted screw-ups we have no one to be disgusted with but ourselves. Perhaps that is better, in the long run, that fuming about at someone else.
The anniversary of what would have been the 175th birthday of the late, great escapologist Harry Houdini occurred ten days ago. Houdini was legendary in the world of illusion, kind of like our current Great Illusionist - only not with so much negative impact on our society. Houdini was said to be able to escape any form of restraint and it was so very ironic that the one restraint that Houdini couldn't control was the restraint that his own body put upon him and he died of the effects of a ruptured appendix at the age of fifty-two.
As recent frustrations, disappointments, worries and other-inflicted mess-ups have been swirling about me as of late, I've been thinking about the genius of Harry Houdini and wished that I, too, could escape into some wooden-box with a fake bottom and just hide out for a bit.....hopefully with a good book, a better flashlight, a puppy, some great chocolate, a pooper-scooper for the puppy and a porta-potty for moi. Upon further reflection, this probably would not work for very long because I'd want some electricity, my laptop, my two favorite pillows, a really good mattress, my cell phone, pictures of the Three Musketeers and frequent visits from my family......not to mention easy access to the Aqua RV.
I guess I won't be hiding out any time soon, but the concept of dodging other-inflicted mess-ups, other-selected bad choices, other-induced worries and disappointments does have some appeal. With the exception of his ruptured appendix and subsequent, painful peritonitis, Mr. Houdini did have the right idea: Let other people restrain you, break through their restraints and then go hide.....if only for a few minutes.
Chocolate, a puppy, and a good book - now there's some incentive!
Ancora imparo
