Monday, July 26, 2010

Reality Check

I woke up in a bad mood this morning. One of those, "better stay out of my way if you know what's good for you" dispositions. This tendency is not uncommon on my daddy's side of the family. Must be something genetic. We refer to it as being in a "Clifton" mood.

I met a fellow forester to begin the day's work bright and early.

He asked me how I was doing. Big mistake.

I snapped an answer. "I guess I'm doing O.K., considering the fact that it feels like it is already 110 degrees and we haven't even left the truck yet."

He paused for a moment, as if deep in thought.

He said "Well, Ray, it is late July, and this is Alabama. What exactly were you expecting this morning?"

Enough said. Sometimes plain spoken words are enough to bring a man back to reality.

3 comments:

  1. Ray, your writing gets better and better. In fact today's post prompted a reality check for a premenopausal gal in Honduras. Thanks.

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  2. OK, now you are scaring me.

    Thanks for your kind words. Sorry your weekend was so crappy.

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  3. You know, my buddhist spiritual teacher has said similar things to me. Along the lines of, we are human beings, and human beings suffer, so why are we so surprised when these things occur? I have complained to him about the heat and he has told me that it is all about acceptance. That may be true, but it's still hot.

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