"I would write on the lintels of the doorpost, Whim. I
hope it is somewhat better than whim at last, but we cannot
spend the day in explanation." -Emerson
If we don't trust our whims to guide our exploration of
possibilities for our lives, we'll quickly find ourselves
relying on others for answers.
What areas of your life have you shut off to whims? Are there
any you've written off? How might you try following them
responsibly? (Is it writing an outline for a
ridiculous-sounding blog post? Picking up that book that
feels "unproductive"? Joining the boxing gym you pass daily?
Asking that girl out you've had your eye on? Booking the trip
you've been thinking about?)
Whims. I don't really think about that term much. I do
follow them, especially if they seem to be on the path. Many
times they will arise and if the signal is faint, I won't
respond to them right away, but I will make note of them.
Most of those just end up on a list and don't really go
anywhere. Those that do end up with some action being
associated with them.
Recently, I have followed a whim to sign up for a course for
voice training. I haven't really thought about my voice much
in the conversational sense. I sing some when I go to church
or play my guitar, but I haven't thought about it much
conversationally. I have always thought of my voice as being
low and monotone, not really having much character. People
have either told me that they like my voice or I sound angry.
Sometimes I have been told that I have an accent. One time,
I was made fun of because of my accent by a bunch of foreign
Korean liquor store clerks. I guess that they thought it was
fhilarious that an Asian guy would have a Midwestern American
accent. I never thought I had an accent, but then again, I
only know what I speak. I guess it depends on the context.
So I committed to this training and have gone through about a
couple hours of lessons. Not really sure why I was drawn to
it but I'm finding it interesting and I kinda felt like I was
directed to it on a different level. Whatever that means.
Well, even if I don't find out why or what exactly it was
that drew me to the training, at least I will have learned
something new that is not usually something that I would
actively seek. Maybe it's the subliminal messages that are
being transmitted by those that are not spoken of. These
days, their messages are so easy for them to transmit. It's
in our electronic devices, it's in the muzak, it's on the TV,
radio, banner ads, intarwebz. It's streaming through the
bluetooths, over the wifis. We are just marinating in it.
And we can't hear it on a conscious level. [TIN FOIL HAT:
OFF]
OK, so if I followed every single whim that manifested in my
consiousnesss, I think I would have to have tin foil
permanently grafted into my skull. My whims, strange at
times and seem to come from out of nowhere, are what they are
and I think that what really matters is how they are or are
not acted upon.
Well, that's more than 20 minutes of barfing on the screen.
Time to carry on.
