The Cost Of Bananas
Dear Rex Mix,
You’ve heard the saying, “not my circus, not my monkeys?” To me, it’s much more than a saying. It’s a really good philosophy by which I live my life.
That is, until this morning.
When I woke up, I heard a voice. It said, “It IS your circus. Those are your monkeys.”
Now I am afraid to leave the house. What if it truly is my circus? How will I handle these monkeys when they finally appear?
Signed,
Uneasily Planning Ape Training Rules Every Evening
Dear UP A TREE,
When you say you hear a “voice,” I assume you refer to your own inner monologue.
Not literal spoken words, external from your consciousness?
More likely those early waking moments when sleep recedes, but the sway of dreams briefly lingers.
What does it all mean?
The obvious answer: your conscience. Guilt or shame or stress may fuel your worry. The monkeys, as it were, have come home to roost?
Or maybe you have taken on new responsibilities at work, or have welcomed a new addition to your family?
It could simply be a sign of maturity. Realizing we are all connected in the circus of existence? Ready to play a greater role under the cosmic Big Top.
Zooming out to a macro level, one thing seems clear: you are questioning a central tenet of your philosophy.
What you once believed may now ring not so true.
This is healthy! A life lived unquestioned is a life not fully lived.
A contradiction in your mind should not cause panic.
You’re better off embracing the truth it hopes to share.
Two opposite thoughts can co-exist in strange harmony. They may run parallel, even at odds, but both have their worth.
Such balance in your day-to-day life will help keep stress from getting totally bananas.
Counterpoint commentary by …
Dexter O’Droit, Lead Juggler
My professional title. Does it seem clear to you? Lead Juggler.
Like, I’m the leading juggler. The foremost at juggling?
I don’t want people to think I actually juggle lead, you know, like the element1. I’m good, yes, but not that good!
Maybe I should change my handle, in case people come expecting to see heavy metals2? I’ll have to think more on that.
As to your question — I wouldn’t put a lot of stock in this worry. I don’t think hordes of monkeys are coming your way.
Let’s reexamine this with a different quote: “There’s only two types of people in the world: the ones that entertain, and the ones that observe.”3
Viewed through that lens, I’d say you are questioning what your “circus” is, and maybe what you want it to be.
Because monkeys do exist, be it squirrel monkeys4, brown titi monkeys5, or the amazing anubis baboons6.
My feeling is that you’ve been an observer too long7, and now you’re ready to go ahead and entertain.8
The specifics? You will need to work those out for yourself. But it’s good that you’ve got so many balls in the air!
Juggling is not merely tossing things up; it is the act of catching them cleanly, then aiming them just where to go9.
Find your rhythm, find your balance. It’s okay to have a miss once in a while10.
The challenges ahead will keep appearing, whether you like them or not.
It may simian11 like a difficult path, but keep your eyes locked on all you can chimpanzee12.
Atomic number 82, listed as the symbol Pb (from the Latin plumbum).
I don’t use heavy metal music in my act either, although I’m a big fan of Metallica, Slipknot and Ozzy.
The philosophical stylings of the unheralded but insightful Britney Spears.
So cute!
L O L
With the bright pink buttocks.
Hail Britney.
Not literally to “provide amusement,” but more in the larger sense of these things.
A print of this quote is available at my Esty shop for $29.99.
Except with chainsaws.
Horrible puns are the best puns!
Refer to number 11.