Triolet; What the Doctor Said

I don't want to slice it too fine, but I am feeling a tad better today. I haven't wept so far. As my grandson's favorite, "Thomas the Tank," is wont to say, I have tried to be a "useful engine." Kathleen dislikes this concept in the "Thomas the Tank" series (the toys originate from Britain) because she thinks it makes behavior the price for self-esteem. I argue that certainly, children need to be loved unconditionally, but they also need a sense of mastery. And striving for mastery is an important source of self-esteem. Achievement, work, mastery, striving, are part and parcel of our self-view, and I don't think this confined to the West. Mastery begins early and remains important, whether it involves dressing a doll or riding a bike. Of course the very question of self-esteem is ridiculous in depression, as a Nobel Prize wouldn't change one's opinion of oneself.

It's raining heavily today in spurts; I wanted to mulch my garden before the rains started but was caught short in my sloth. This year I plan only to have a flower garden as most vegetables did not fare well last year.

I cried through most of my appt. with my psychiatrist yesterday. He wants me to give up alcohol altogether, my last vice besides coffee, though that is not the reason I cried. I am desperate enough to comply with his advice, though I never saw alcohol consumption having any influence on my mood in the past; now comes the hard part, saying good-bye to a good friend. (I've quit drinking for long periods in the past, and could never see how it made my life either better or worse.)

Here's a little exercise for today:


Triolet

The madman lost his magic sequined hat
Whose tiny mirrors gave him the power to think.
Now his brain babbled "Jehoshophat."
The madman lost his magic sequined hat.
Without it he could not tie his cravat.
He needed silver moons to help him link.
The madman lost his magic sequined hat
Whose tiny mirrors gave him the power to think.



Unstably,

CE