Tuesday, January 31, 2017

King or Clown



painting by Ally Saunders.


King or Clown

“The most terrifying thing is to accept
oneself completely.”--C.G. Jung.

As a child, without language,
     we soon discover the seeds of 
           our personality--then as we are
                  propelled along our educational
            journey, we begin to find ourself
      strongly attracted to certain things--
art,                                      creative writing.
  music,                                  puzzles &
      dance,                           games,
         sports,                      movies,
            mechanics,        theater,
                poetry,        literature,
                    mathematics:
                this attraction turns to
             interest, & soon we start to
      measure our skills, talents & dreams.

We fortunate folks,                      
it seemed to us, embraced
being extroverts, Type A’s,
& we found that we could
devour our studies like
ravenous carnivores--just as
we ran afoul of peer pressure,
candor & competition and were
able to excel in divers area, only
to then hear the accusations of
egocentric conceit, arrogance,
impatience & unreasonable anger,
              just as we grow accustomed to our
              parents, teachers & mentors always
              measuring & rating our achievements,
              pressuring us to focus on grades,
                                                       communication,                                                                                                                                          writing skills,
                                                       physical prowess,
                                                       and beauty.

A quick stroll through my home provides  
amble glimpses of my achievements--
               things in frames like
               college degrees,
               certificates & awards,
               posters from plays, films
               & recitals I have been in--
               photographs of me with
               celebrities, in costume from
               plays, & holding an open mic
               at poetry readings/performances,
               as well as photographs I’ve taken,
               & a copy of my own page in IMDb.

My wife easily tires of my self adoration & my
heightened self-esteem. She is fond of reminding
me of the less attractive side of my personality,
and that living with me provides more than a
healthy challenge for any human being. I find
myself thanking her for keeping me on an even

keel, & for completing me.                                              


Glenn Buttkus

9 comments:

Grace said...

Good to have someone complementing and balancing you Glenn ~ You are lucky ~

Frank Hubeny said...

Interesting idea that living with someone "provides more than a
healthy challenge for any human being". There's nothing like a good challenge.

Waltermarks said...

That makes me laugh Glenn. My wife sees the whole picture, I guess we're both kings and clowns

Mish said...

Thanks for sharing some of your accomplishments..I'm sure there are many more not mentioned and many more to come. So interesting to see where the image took you and I enjoyed the lightheartedness.

brudberg said...

Oh indeed. We need that voice whispering of our less attractive sides.. just as those with lower self-esteem might need the other.

Debi Swim said...

Your woman sounds like a wise lady. I think you found a perfect match.

De Jackson said...

Balance is good, Sir. But there's also something to be said for audacity. I wish I had more of it.

Anonymous said...

It's a match made in heaven as long as you encourage her to fly ;)

Sreeja said...

It has a funny side to it and so many things that really come to mind about growing up....very interesting!