Making Me Look Good

Years ago a place I worked had one of those inspirational-type posters near the supply room, the kind that printing companies give away. This one struck me, though, and I'm sure it's because I could rationalize the saying on it to put myself in the best possible light.

It was more vertical than horizontal and read from top to bottom. What it said was something like this:

Small minds focus on people
Medium minds consider events
Large minds deal with ideas

Of course, I took to that like a wolphin to water.

I rarely think of myself as having a large mind, but I've come to realize that most people are much more literal than I am. I didn't notice it until I was past my twenties and was associating with people outside my picked circle of friends. Now I see it everywhere, people who see only trees and who, frankly, think I'm weird. I don't see myself as any sort of genius, but I'm far more comfortable thinking of things as specific examples of greater ideas rather than taking them at face value as the things themselves. The things themselves usually bore me.

But, this isn't all about me. I have no idea who said it, but one other thing has stuck with me through the years. "Some things we remember for utilitarian purposes, some out of desire, and some are just random." I like that. It's true, too, that I remember things like how to tie my shoes because that's necessary for the well-dressed man, I remember kisses because I refuse to let them go, but a great number of my memories are fresh, are vibrant, and I have no idea why they, and not some other, have stuck with me all these years.

Maybe the juices and electrons all line up just right, and -- wham! -- instant memory, and something of no more intrinsic value than ten million other occurences on that particular day becomes part of my story.

Odd, that.