Take It Like a Dragon

[rowyn]

I didn't want to go to work today. I thought about calling in sick, but there wasn't any point. I didn't really want to be at home, either. I didn't want to be anywhere. I might as well go to work and get paid to be somewhere.

I tried calling my brain instead. "Hello, brain? Look, I'm not gonna be able to be depressed today."

Brain: "WHAT?"

Me: "I've got things I have to do, and I just don't have time -- "

Brain: "Well you MAKE time! You've been not-depressed for months!"

Me: "See, about that, I was kind of hoping to stay that way -- "

Brain: "HAHA NO CHANCE. You don't get to call off from depression. DEPRESSION COMES TO WORK YOU."

Me: "No it doesn't! You're not the boss of me!"

Brain: "I totally am. Grow some scales and take your depression like a dragon."

Me (smiles): "'Dragon' is a way better metaphor for that than 'man'."

Brain: "Yeah it is -- hey! Stop with that smiling! You're scheduled for some depression here!"

Me: "Sorry. Taking it like a dragon. I'm just gonna fly around in here. Wheee!"

Brain: "Dammit. Don't think you're off the hook here! DEPRESSION WAITS."

Me: "Lalalala can't hear you, too busy breathing fire."

Comments

[level-head.livejournal.com]

*chuckle*

I've had a bit of practice at that recently.

Yes, no time to be depressed. To that end, may I recommend to you the musings of a Roman emperor from eighteen centuries ago? He made notes to himself along those lines, and they were discovered and published. Marcus Aurelius Antoninius's Meditations collection is quite worthwhile, and quotes from it adorn my workspace. A few examples:

Live every day as your last, without frenzy, sloth, or pretense.

Ask of all actions, “Why are they doing that?” — starting with your own actions.

Everything you’re trying to reach—by taking the long way round —you could have this moment, if you’d stop thwarting your own attempts.

Every moment, focus steadily on doing the task at hand, with perfect and simple dignity, and with feelings of affection and freedom and justice.

Put away hypocrisy. Put away self-love, and discontent with your portion in life.

Speak the truth, frankly and without evasions, and act as you should—and as other people deserve.

Speak both to the powerful and every person, whoever he may be, appropriately and without affectation. Use plain language.

Receive prosperity without arrogance, and be ready to let it go.
Order your life well, in every single act.

Behave justly to those around you.

Be vigilant over your thoughts, so that nothing should
steal into them without being well-examined.

Accept correction gladly, and without anger.

Keep yourself simple, pure, good, serious, a friend of justice,
kind, affectionate, and strenuous in all proper acts.

Take care never to feel toward those who are inhuman
the way they feel towards others.

Best wishes!

==============/ Keith DeHavelle

[rowyn]

Have you been practicing being a dragon again, dear sir? You used to be one quite regularly, I recall. :)

And thank you for your kind words, too!

[level-head.livejournal.com]

I have always felt ... something between kinship and empathy ... for the dragon voiced by Sean Connery in Dragonheart. You know this well; he is in the artwork you did that is featured on the photo-frame above my desk.

That empathy was recently reinforced by his keen awareness that he is the last of his kind. My life has changed much, as you know, and what we now call "stoic" is a useful approach, though Marcus Aurelius actually studied Stoicism which has little to do with our modern use of the word.

Nevertheless, you can see prefiguring of our modern use of stoicism in several of the quotes above.

As an aside, the only person I know who professes to be of the original Stoic faith, as practiced millennia ago, was ferocious in his attacks on me. That sort of thing doesn't happen often (I have readers who were once trolls; you might remember the occasion which also involved dragons), but this case was a situation I could do little to repair.

==============/ Keith DeHavelle

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

*stands and applauds*

[rowyn]

*takes a bow in the form of wheeling in the air, trailing smoke and breathing fire*

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Your dragon form sounds a lot more fun than my 'blah I have to do this' squirrel form.

[rowyn]

I was using adorable-tiny-moth form to avoid work, but dragon is better for not being depressed. n_n

[alltoseek.livejournal.com]

"Lalalala can't hear you, too busy breathing fire" is going to be my new motto.

[rowyn]

If my brain wanted me to be depressed, it shouldn't've told me to take it like a dragon.

(Brain: *grumble grouse stupid people can't even be depressed properly*)

[alltoseek.livejournal.com]

auto!CBT, I'm tellin' ya. Some therapist somewhere would be very proud.

[rowyn]

I really did start this entry as "I will write about being depressed in a vaguely amusing way", but when I got to 'take it like a dragon', I was all "okay, that just ruins the whole mood, I'm not depressed now." n_n

[alltoseek.livejournal.com]

everything is better with DRAGONS

srsly just breathed fire all over the kitchen counters, got 'em cleaned right up 5 minutes no prob

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

that is awesome :D

[rowyn]

Thank you! I love your Pinkie Pie icon. n_n

"Well played, madame..."

[jorrocks-j.livejournal.com]

"...very well played."

(http://the-wizard-of-art.deviantart.com/art/Solid-Class-349458458)

Re:

[rowyn]

Always be yourself. Unless you can be a dragon. Then, be a dragon.

[archangelbeth]

I showed this to my kid in the car yesterday and she was cracking up. Thank you. O:>