Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
(your weekly cow)
‘Night Cows’ (apologies to Edward Hopper…or his estate…or fans or whatever)
1) With only a couple of properly placed participles, the statement: ‘appreciating a point in my future allows me to experience today, as does a point in my past, relative to today, can evoke a wistful sense of missed opportunity’
3) You know, when Item 1 popped into my head, I really liked it and raced to a computer, in order to write it down, lest I forget. Coming back to it this morning, (I wrote it down on, Wednesday…Thursday), I was less enthused. The problem is bifold. I enjoy this writing challenge each weekend (… yes, you’re right, ‘the-person-who-caught-the-implication-in-that-choice-of-words’ …probably zoe and lizzi, I’ll bet Christine and Dyanne did as well, but they’re too fond of the Doctrine to say anything that might sound cruel…. pretty sure Kristi noticed, but too kind to call me on that) and I get something from the forced ‘reflectionary insight’** that comes from having to write about myself, (as opposed to the Wakefield Doctrine). But here I am, in no small part, because I am the sole co-hostinimus, and it’s the correct thing to do.
4) So lets go with: I’m grateful that I am not (yet) sick with the flu as is Phyllis, who has the flu this week. I did get to have the fun, (this is really a clarklike thing), of being able to suggest something that would help her feel less bad. Phyllis somehow was not aware of the amazing properties of ginger ale! no, seriously! After my holding forth on the palliative qualities of Canada Dry, she relented so I went to the Stop n Shop at some early morning hour and brought some home. A measure of her inexperience with this particular home remedy, she tried to drink it at room temperature!! “non! non! non!!! on ne boit tout simplement pas ce à quoi que ce soit plus de 17 degrés centigrades … !!” Well, I’m pleased to report that it helped.
5) hey! I got one and actual Item of gratitude! In the course of work this week, access was needed to a house, the client was not local and their local resources were not available until too late, so I got a shovel and dug out the porch (and part of the driveway) myself. (Given the demographic of my industry), it should come as no surprise that the mere suggestion that I was considering doing this, was met with, ‘wait, your absentee client will make the arrangements eventually. you can’t do that!‘ (of course that last part?… like that convinced me to change my plan lol ). In any event, I shoveled. Afterwards someone said, ‘are you out of your mind? it’s 17 degrees‘ and I remembered the, (fortunately few), times that I’ve been in the hospital and replied, ‘well, I know for a fact that there’ve been times in my life when I would have given anything to be out there in the snow, (which I hate), shoveling (which I love) instead of where I was, ya know?’ I think they understood. (I reminded myself immediately to leave the metaphysics out of the workplace, luckily the person I was speaking to was a clark… in fact, rather than let the silence that followed my statement go on too long, I challenged him to admit to knowing what I meant. (Still need to leave the weird(er) stuff at home or at the Doctrine or here…)
6) the above, weird as it may sound, has me sneaking up on feeling grateful… that I can remember to think, to feel a certain way, about how I’m getting through a given day. Thats sorta like gratitude, right?
7) hat!! Wakefield Doctrine hats (“…for your damn head“)…. we have a hat, (one of the last remaining in my current supply), going out to a Reader of the Wakefield Doctrine!! very fun! yes, I am totally going to try and make a mystery of it…
8) hypo-grateful for (allowing myself) to not keep up with technology. The demands of my work are becoming such, that I have had to go and access and (try) to learn to use a lot of the multi-platform…. stuff. There are incredible tools to coordinate what I do and avoid duplication of effort and, most of all, avoid the dreaded… ‘forgetting the one thing that totally had to be done today’.
9) I am grateful to have the opportunity to write today’s Post and all…
10) 1.3 (you knew I was going for that, didn’t you!)
2) … ok with that for a start, my better side* is yelling, ‘this time you’ve gone too far!! there’s weird and there’s wtf?!’
* better side? (oh that better side… I started out thinking that I would include either: a) a Poll or 2) a video or B) a mixed up List order. Fortunately for you, I am at the bottom of the list… (to enhance your feeling of gratitude lets just say that I was thinking…’hey suppose I figure out this twitter thing that everyone thinks is so good and finish the post by twitter!’ not this week, at any rate.
** faux rogerian expression
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About clarkscottroger
Excellent post. I was tempted to come here and claim FRIST first but didn’t ‘cuz I had to keep reading.
Totally enjoyed this clarklike post. I have a feeling though that it’s not really (hey tech guy, go make that last word italics) a clarklike post. It’s a thankful (and that one, the “thankful”) post.
A good one indeed.
Thank you Clark.
Ya know, I don’t think Mr. Hopper would take any offense:)
The Ginger Ale! I had forgotten about that one! Damn. That not only makes you old, it makes me old!! Er, excuse me, that’s “older”. Emphasis on the “der”.
He’s the younger sib? I have to admit I never gave it thought….
thank and FRIST it is!
yeah, it’s not that scotts and rogers can’t decipher what we say/think, it’s just that the context is not there for them (they being in the world of the predator and the herd member, respectively) and, as with personality types themselves (in the Wakefield Doctrine) it is the reality that we are in that not only shapes our thoughts but out problems and challenges
The hat will eventually make its way to Aruba correct?
So we’re talking ginger ale at slightly cooler than room temperature? I am a proponent of Vicks on the bottom of your feet to cure what ails you. We all need a tropical vacation sometimes. ;)
actually we’re talking about… cold (whatever refrigerator cold is) vicks on the feet? had not heard that one before (though I do have childhood memories of vicks in a vaporizer…. the smell of fever, soup and anxiety dreams… lol)
I have never had even a sip of ginger ale. It helps calm the flu? I have, though, heard of the Vicks on the feet for a cough. Love that smell. Of the Vicks. Not the feet.
Hope Phyllis gets to feeling like her healthy self very soon.
Good work, shoveling for the benefit of someone else.
Christine
really? …although I don’t drink soda, this home-remedy has stayed with me… combination effect of carbonation: sinuseses and stomach relief
well… I must admit, there was self-interest involved… and if in no other form than to know that I did not miss an opportunity to act (something that scotts would respond to with a ‘well duh!)
I see your gratitudes and yes, there will be times in future when knowing that you shovelled because you chose to and you could, and you achieved, will be a precious memory.
My brain is coming apart from tiredness and I missed the bit where I think I was supposed to infer that your inner writer and your sharing of your own self as well as this here doctrine is beginning to become evident.
I like the hats, and look forward to seeing whose damn head is the intended recipient.
Lizzi
well, (as I alluded to in my reply to Christine) there is a significant degree of self-interest at work in this decision to shovel… like my walking barefoot to the mail box (no, I haven’t tried it with the snow, but now that you mention it! lol) or your ordeals with the running in the rain, the shoveling was an attempt to bring myself into the now… no, wait make that (and this should make little sense, as the words are from Castanada…but, what am I saying!?! you’re a clark… you will get the feel of it)… it was to remind myself that I am not immortal that I do not have time to half-live the real life, as I try to figure out how to escape my Outsider-ness… that today is not a dress rehearsal… you know where we put off trying in fear of failing/counterbalances with the resolve to do perfect in the future….
…what? yes, I know this is a Reply lol…. yeah, other clarks do bring that out… a very good thing
We should have THAT as a hat (for our damn heads) – “Today is not a dress-rehearsal”
You are quite brilliant, my friend. I doff my cap to you :)
… yeah, totally agree
and this is the thing that makes all the effort (and it wasn’t an effort in the normal sense of the word) behind the Doctrine blog… to know that another clark is in the same place that I am (‘the Great Outside’)… makes a difference that I can best appreciate as ‘you can’t know how much good this does you or you would limit it in your own desire to define things… (and yes, a simple ‘thank you Lizzi’ will suffice)
thank you Lizzi…. I can identify with you
hey… tell me you have found a way to do trans-oceanic phone calls at no cost… I totally need to get you on a Saturday Night Drive-in Call!
Alas, I have not. But I’m glad we’re in this together, and that we and Kristi and Cyndi and Denise and Ivy all have one another to boost each other along :)
this is true
Speaking of home remedies, just this week a teacher Brian worked with told him we should put sliced onions in our children’s socks to keep them well. It wasn’t clear to Brian is the socks were merely to be receptacles kept close or then also placed on the children’s feet. I love onions, but I can’t say I’m really tempted.
Hey, not sure how carefully you read, but as fifteenth link-upper, you selected yourself to answer my questions.
How long have you and Phyllis been married?
( I love how scotts do that… it is so direct and un-affected, if not inclined to be intimidated (as are most rogers)… it can be seen as simple as we would hope it would be, if we (clarks) were real people)… so, for you, I will answer….
(preface: remember, I am not only a guy from Y Chromia but I’m also a clark, so dates are a little tough… so allow for a SD +-2 years) we have been together as a couple since 1981 married since… 2000… 2001(?) sometime around then…)
You’ve been a couple for 34 years, and you didn’t know she’d never had ginger ale? Or that she didn’t like plants (flashback to her birthday, I believe)? Is this a Clark (personality theory) thing or a Clark (I’m a guy with this Y chromosome) thing?
…or how to stay happily together for 34 years (guy’s handbook)
lol
I thought everyone knew about ginger ale? And we always did Vicks on the chest…that way youre breathing it in…and in vaporizers.
I hope that Phyllis is feeling better soon, and that you stay healthy.
Oh poor Phyllis. I do hope she’s feeling better! Now when you say “flu” do you mean actual flu as in bad cold with a fever or do you mean a stomach virus (commonly called “flu”)? I’ve never heard of ginger ale for actual flu, but for stomach bugs? Absolutely. Ginger is a tummy calmer. Mint, too. I have had copious amounts of ginger this weekend. It’s the only thing I can stomach. (hahahaha!)
Lisa
Flu as in influenza (I believe) fever and congestion and stomach consternation… (that is the primary benefit for the ginger ale, but there is the slight and fairly temporary effect on the sinuseses from the carbonation that is a part of it).