With the New Year coming, I’d like to introduce
you to three familiar friends. This is because they have a knack for taking the
‘new’out of any year. Meet them and find out for yourelf! They will tell you
about themselves:
My name is Almost. I have two buddies, Nearly and Always. We are pretty different; but as with all friends, we found
a way to hang out, laugh, and not take each other too seriously. In fact, I
think we look pretty good as a lot: Almost Nearly Always. I told you.
Well, those
two can wait. First, let me tell you about myself.
I have
great ideas-
-Better
distribution of resources to end world poverty
-Roundtable
talks to negotiate water resources so that nobody dies of thirst
-Cross-fertilisation
of think tanks to deal with those intractable issues like democratizing
nations, Aids, and mother-in-laws. Yes, I am also funny.
Ah…and in
case you think I live in the higher realms, I also cover more pedestrian
concerns like
-Losing
weight
-Proper
exercise
-Wardrobe
makeovers
-Tidying my
room (really)
And I come
really close to actually doing something about these stuff I think about and
talk about. In fact, my sterling quality is precisely this: everyone holds me
in pretty high regard because I am so close to what everyone is trying to deal
with. My admirers range from the neighbourhood coffeshop assistant to that
smart professor of Philosophy who sometimes I see running in the park! I don’t
exchange mere pleasantries when I meet folks: we talk for quite a bit. I always
nod knowingly and with the sincerest empathy for whatever whoever is going
through; and I am proud to say some of me rubs off on them afterward.
O, here
comes Nearly.
This is a
real chum. In fact, when I am with him, we seem to have a doubly effective
effect! Just a few weeks ago, we spoke with young and old and everyone single
one of them benefitted from the clarifying chat. I still remember some of what
we talked about:
Bringing a
gift for a friend’s birthday
Calling up
her mother (she has not spoken to her in years)
Trying out
a new way of talking to the kids
Changing
job
Buying a
new brand of (o dear I forgot what this one was about… My name is Almost
remember?)
It is
amazing how relieved people feel when they just know that these things at least
crossed their minds.
Always is
strongest of the three of us. She has this knack of sneaking up on
conversations – whether the person is talking to himself or to others – and
simply stabilizing everything. No change, no shift, no move. Nada. That is
power I say. Just keeps everything the way it is! Just consider how she slips
in and maintains the status quo:
I am always so slow/worried/blur (works with
any adjective – amazing right?)
He’s always so selfish
It always rains when we have plans
See? She’s
amazing!
Well, the
Mayans were wrong. Or should we say right: after all, from the looks of things,
we are almost, nearly about to end in a big bang (the way we began presumably)!
Always.
