Here’s what’s interesting:
In March I bought a Groupon for a one month gym membership + massage for $55 –– which is like half the price of a massage –– and today I took advantage of it (the massage portion).
As I’ve often remarked these days, I’ve been deeply inspired by the Abraham Alaska Cruise quote about how the Specifically Negative can hold more energy for us than the Generally Positive.
I’ve also been reflecting on the title of the newest David Neagle course –– which I haven’t signed up for –– entitled “Know Your Enemy.”
And today I began thinking a lot about “Why exactly do have I have to have an enemy? (ever / at all)” particularly in reference to the nasty/inappropriate Face Place comments I received yesterday.
What became super-clear to me today was that what I had posted in the private sub-group was SO BEYOND this person’s comprehension/experience that it would be like giving me neuro-imaging and expecting me to perform brain surgery. [I am, by the way, quite confident that I could perform excellent brain surgery on anyone, but it really isn’t something I feel is best left to improvisational exploration.]
IE, I got that she really just doesn’t have a clue –– NONE whatsoever –– but was resorting to “know-it-all” claptrap.
Echoing this –– in a much more charming and positive way –– was that Clark texted me and asked if I could pick up Jonah after school and Belle and I did (his first ride as the first human in the back seat of our new convertible).
Over dinner, Clark and I did a little math homework with Jonah where they were dealing with the slippery concept of carrying a number into another column in subtraction (eg. 32-29 equal … WAIT! how can I subtract 9 from 2?)
Jonah was, of course, a quick study –– especially with a demonstration involving bottle caps –– but I got to see how entirely new math concepts and conceptual frameworks were being opened up to him.
The problem with the rude person in my group, is that she doesn’t have the simplicity/humility of an eight-year-old to realize “I don’t get this … please explain it to me” but instead launches into marketing cliche (and defensiveness).
More importantly, I’ve thought more about my NEED for an ENEMY –– it’s really ingrained (given my enneagram 8-ness) but now that it’s identified, we are more than halfway through the battle. (Ooops … did I say “battle” –– there goes that whole “need for an enemy” thing again.)
And … speaking of Jonah –– on the way to his house, since I needed to replenish Belle’s food, I did offer to buy him any snack he wanted at the Pet Store (even a Pig’s Ear like I got for Belle) but oddly he declined.
Go figure….THAT I just don’t get!
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