- To make something unpleasant less severe
--
I've found that the only thing that can assuage the fear of penning a long, boring, obnoxious blog entry is to set out with the objective to do just that. To write a long, boring, obnoxious blog entry, that is. Prepare yourselves, dear friends. This is going to be a dozy.
I (and a couple thousand others on this planet, thank goodness) have a tendency to avoid that which has the potential to be unpleasant. Take, for example, physicals. Or cocktail socials. Or poorly constructed, asinine, yuppie accounts about my trip to the Emerald Isle.
... not that the last example has anything to do with the fact that I have not posted for months. No, not at all. *CoughCough*
On the one hand, it's comforting to know that shying away from such galling occurrences is more natural than not. "Walk into that lion's den? No, thanks," screams the human psyche. "I'd much rather walk around. Or starve. Or go play this great game of cornhole I just found!"
On the other hand (because there is always another hand), it's just as disconcerting that we lean toward cowardice when given the option. I decided to avoid my own blog for months in order to maintain a false sense of literary bravery and accomplishment around in my proverbial handbag. "Lion's den? What lion's den? Let's get back to that game of cornhole," my mind rifts. While I may now be an expert cornhole player, what have I really gained?
If you said, "Nothing," you're far too pessimistic. If you said, "A growing sense of impending doom," gold star for you!
Today, I set out to leave cowardice at the door. While it hasn't reached the entryway just yet (it's peering around my couch, right now), I know that only way to push it out will be to try. This attempt may not be noble or iconic or bold or, heck, even good, but it's something. And something is a lot better than the nothing I've been putting out.
Here's to second, third, and fourth tries.
I've found that the only thing that can assuage the fear of penning a long, boring, obnoxious blog entry is to set out with the objective to do just that. To write a long, boring, obnoxious blog entry, that is. Prepare yourselves, dear friends. This is going to be a dozy.
I (and a couple thousand others on this planet, thank goodness) have a tendency to avoid that which has the potential to be unpleasant. Take, for example, physicals. Or cocktail socials. Or poorly constructed, asinine, yuppie accounts about my trip to the Emerald Isle.
... not that the last example has anything to do with the fact that I have not posted for months. No, not at all. *CoughCough*
On the one hand, it's comforting to know that shying away from such galling occurrences is more natural than not. "Walk into that lion's den? No, thanks," screams the human psyche. "I'd much rather walk around. Or starve. Or go play this great game of cornhole I just found!"
On the other hand (because there is always another hand), it's just as disconcerting that we lean toward cowardice when given the option. I decided to avoid my own blog for months in order to maintain a false sense of literary bravery and accomplishment around in my proverbial handbag. "Lion's den? What lion's den? Let's get back to that game of cornhole," my mind rifts. While I may now be an expert cornhole player, what have I really gained?
If you said, "Nothing," you're far too pessimistic. If you said, "A growing sense of impending doom," gold star for you!
Today, I set out to leave cowardice at the door. While it hasn't reached the entryway just yet (it's peering around my couch, right now), I know that only way to push it out will be to try. This attempt may not be noble or iconic or bold or, heck, even good, but it's something. And something is a lot better than the nothing I've been putting out.
Here's to second, third, and fourth tries.
