Too Bad There Is Always One Last Thing...

Today's Song: You Don't Mess Around With Jim by Jim Croce

Why do people do it.  Why does the family move into the big spooky house where the last owner went crazy and killed his family?  Why do the teens go to Murder Lake and then go off into the woods to have sex?  And why does anyone ever take a contract to deliver the mystery box from the guy who won't tell you what is in it?  These things never end well.  Our protagonist sees that the smart thing to do is just walk away, but he never does.  If he just walked away there would be no story.

I was often no better or wiser.  I could see trouble coming but sometimes I was just too stubborn to walk away.  Well I have resolved to be good this month.  I would avoid picking any fights, stepping on any toes, or knowingly walking into or even leading anyone into a bear cave.  So far I am twenty-five for twenty-five on writing my daily posts and twenty-five for twenty-five for staying out of trouble.

Maybe I am getting older.  Old people are boring.  They don't go down into basements alone.  Old people don't walk into arcane libraries and begin reading the blood soaked tomes.  Old people do sensible things.  The leave and let someone else, probably younger and definitely more foolhardy handle the problem.

It could be the positive influence of my employer.  She honestly believes there is no situation that cannot be handled by just talking things through.  I have been impressed by the results she gets with nice words and home made apple pie.

It could also be that wisdom is the result of lacking the energy for recklessness.  The wise man assesses the lay of the land where fools rush in often because he simply cannot keep up when the idiots charge.  As a younger man I had the boundless energy and unlimited attention necessary to fight every possible battle.  Now as I pass into my middle years it is necessary to pick my spots because I cannot simultaneously engage on every front.

I like to think that I am doing things better, smarter.  A hammer is a good tool, but not everything in life is a nail.  Learning to use diplomacy and other tools simply makes you a better craftsman.  But deep down I still wonder what it would be like to pick up Mjölner one more time and simply smite everything in my path.

In the meantime I'll try to avoid tugging on any capes, spiting windward, or any other task that would cause songs and epic poems to be written if the results were counter to expectations.  Except for this one thing that I've got to do, after that I will be a paragon of sagacity.

Later

Bob