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Breath Deep

In a comment yesterday, Old Knusdon suggested that I have a "well-hidden wicked side." Well, I suppose I do have a wicked side, and I suppose everyone does. Some are just conditioned differently as to whether or not it needs to be hidden.

This morning, I heard a discussion on this very subject, and the teacher (OK, Old Knudson, I was in Sunday school--this place is like church, isn't it?) Anyway, the teacher gave us this quote from Mark Twain:

Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.
from Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

If we all have a dark side, then we must all have a brighter side. That's the side I prefer to focus on, not for the sake of glossing over the rot and the ugly, but for the sake of catching a good deep breath, and for the sake of allowing everyone else around me to catch the same good deep breath. There's plenty of unpleasantness on the globe, especially these days, and it won't do any good for me to add my "wicked side" to the mix.

Besides, it feels so good to breath fresh air when you can find it.

Comments

dive said…
Thank you Robyn. It's good to be reminded of old Sam.
I re-read Tom and Huck's books this summer (a lot of them while sitting by the river). His wonderful writing can be like a good deep breath of fresh air.
3:32 PM
Sassy Sundry said…
I love Mark Twain. What an insight.

I cannot help it, though. I'm humming "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" right now.
5:01 PM
Scout said…
Look for the silver lining
when e'er a cloud appears in the blue
remember somewhere the sun is shining
so always look for the silver lining
and try to find
the sunny side of life.

Thank you Turner Classic Movies
5:50 PM
Sassy Sundry said…
Hee hee.
6:07 PM
Old Knudsen said…
Oh good, I'm glad you mentioned me in this post as I will be mentioning you and your darkside in my next one its funny, Mark Twain was mentioned for different reasons on my comments.
I only remember one line from that song,"lifes a piece of shit, when you look at it".
6:18 PM
Scout said…
Funny, I don't remember that line, Old K. I feel like I'll need to approach your site with my eyes closed in anxious anticipation.
7:56 PM
Old Knudsen said…
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

You had me doubt my memory so I had to giggle it.
9:00 PM
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