It’s time to remove my thinking cap and put on my writing hat.
I’m not really a hat person, though — I’ve skeptically tried on hats at various Gap and Target stores usually on excursions with mom (when she visits) or friends.
They shop and I wait around, glancing at my iPhone every 45 seconds in efforts to make time move faster.
Come to think of it, those are probably the only instances when I want time to slip away and it just doesn’t budge.
Those instances and the time I am at my dentist’s.
I used to hate going to the dentist — can’t say I love it now, but it certainly has become more bearable.
I had rabbit teeth and a really crooked set of pearlies in my lower jaw. The dentist recommended I get it all fixed before I was put on the marriage market to increase my chances of getting a handsome young husband.
I hated my braces. Didn’t even put the retainer on for as long as I should have — the gaps between my teeth where the extractions took place will attest for that. It was just too bothersome … plus who cares if my smile is not perfect? It’s genuine.
Mom and dad paid for that expensive “treatment” and then I went ahead and married a dude who didn’t even meet me in person (let alone inspect my teeth) well into our online relationship.
As long as my teeth function the way they’re supposed to, who cares about the superfluous cosmetic stuff?
Apparently a lot of people.
The exterior is so important to everyone — those first impressions we create by just looking at the facade. All of us are guilty of that, yours truly included.
Our societies have become such suckers for what’s on the outside that what’s on the inside barely gets any mention.
But what is on the inside? Do we even give that much thought?
Do we seek opportunities for intellectual stimulation and discourse as readily as we buy the Hollywood Cookie Diet or the spray tan lotion?
Do we read books that enliven our imagination and provide fodder for creative engagement as readily as we play games on the iPhone or go clubbing?
How much of our time do we devote to the development of our intellect? How many hours do we spend consciously immersing ourselves in debate over thorny issues?
How cognizant are we of the world around us — both local and global? How compassionate and conscientious are we toward those who we know need help?
How tired are we of the brash and the presumptuous individuals who taint our lives with the superflous and the inconsequential?
How much do we love or hate Steven Slater?
How much can we do in this one life? And if there is only a finite amount that can be done, then why not do what you love?
What did you say? Oh, you love shopping?
Well, then, go ahead and do that … I’ll just try on one more hat and then find a quiet corner where I can play some Angry Birds.
This has been another addition to the Pleasantly Disturbed Thursday series started by Duane Scott.
Head on over to read some other gems.
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2010 Mansi Bhatia
You might also enjoy:
I just love the way you write.
This was lots of fun.
"plus who cares if my smile is not perfect? It’s genuine."
I love your spirit. So carefree and light. I just want to hang out with you sometime. That's what I get with this post.
Go try on another hat.
Play Angry Birds.
Oh, and be original.
You're doing awesome!
Thanks, DS. I credit you for being the inspiration. And I will be standing in line waiting for my "giveaway iPad" along with a lifelong membership to the Pleasantly Disturbed Thursdays elite club.
Did you meet online…? Really? So did my beloved and I! It’s not something I advise others to do.. but it worked for us.. God’s hand was in it.. big time!!
Yes we did. Although it was a long time before online dating sites — the internet was still in its nascent stages and he chanced upon a poem I’d written that spurred him to write me an e-mail. One thing led to another and before we knew it, the cyber exchanges had turned into a lifelong commitment. I know exactly what you mean when you say “It’s not something I advise others to do…but it worked for us!”
Here’s to lasting relationships with unusual beginnings
You know, reading the opening to this post, it reminded me of how I usually end up writing the openings to my one-hit wonders posts.
Hey, maybe I *can* do this!
And I met my wife online too, back in the days before dating sites. We met on IRC.
I knew there was a reason I liked you.
Yes you CAN! Give it a try tomorrow.
I knew there was a reason I liked YOU!
Mine is a rather bizarre online connection story — I"ll probably pen it down in the form of a book someday.
It has been posted! Though you're so on top of things, you probably already knew that…
Let me know what you think.