Don't mess with Mister In-Between

Happy MLK Day!

My alarm went off at 8:40 this morning. Since it's the end of a long weekend, it woke me up. I was also up late last night savoring the near-end of BSG, and you know how I feel about quality television.

I can't find it now, but the radio discussed neural reprogramming. A teenage girl struggled with depression. She was spending time with mean girls. Her neural reprogramming process involved questioning her reaction to the situation. Was she really an unlikable person? Or was it also possible that these girls didn't like her while other girls did? She changed friends and felt much better.

Most self-help is the same; each one just uses different language. Neural reprogramming is like meditation (where you let go of your thoughts). I recently enjoyed reading "Loving What Is" where you confirm that your thoughts have a basis in reality (or change them if they don't).

On BSG, Baltar (one of the main characters, originally a brilliant scientist) becomes a religious leader of a small but growing cult. He preaches to them, "you are perfect just the way you are." Within a couple days of watching that, K sent me the following quote, "When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky" ~ Gautama Buddha. When coincidences like that happen, I pause.

I don't believe in perfection... at least not in living things. The concept doesn't fit. Perfect moments on the other hand....

I spent yesterday with my mother and sister.

We ate dim sum and then walked along Crissy Field where we saw a rainbow.

It rained intermittently. My sister reminded my mother of something she said on one of their vacations "If it gets any better than this, I'm not even interested." My mother noted that negative experiences stick with us so that we can protect ourselves from wild animals. We only remember positive experiences if they last for at least 20 seconds.


Which reminds me of methods for remembering people's names. I've heard that if you repeat the persons name three times after you've heard it (which presumably lasts at least 20 seconds), you're more likely to remember it.

At this point, I am tempted to break into song. You're lucky you're reading this and not in the room with me:

AC-CENT-TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE (Mister In-Between)
(Johnny Mercer / Harold Arlen)
You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
...