Laura is getting her first acupuncture treatment, using a Groupon I bought her. She'll be home in about an hour, and I'm making summer leftover lunch for us. A dollop of homemade kidney bean hummus, some tomato and basil salad. The tomatoes look a little sad, but still edible.
I'm cutting up last night's grilled chicken.
Mm, that looks good. Maybe I'll take a little bite of one of the chunks I just made.
Nah. Resist the impulse.
That is all you have to do. Just resist the impulse.
Gee, every second, that's what we're doing, it seems like.
Maybe it's all about resisting impulse.
Resist the impulse.
Like we direct our own behavior, but doing that means working against so many impulses.
(I keep cutting up last night's chicken.)
"Resist the impulse to scream."
That's a phrase, right? Where did that come from?
Huh.
Resist the impulse to scream.
Interesting! The more you focus on that, the harder it is to do.
If you really focused on it, like really hard, eventually you'd almost have to scream.
I wonder if I could have a "resist the impulse to scream" bumper sticker made. Get everyone behind my car thinking about it.
Maybe someone would scream then, right there in their car.
Or maybe they'd think it's a political statement. Or sort of social commentary. Or just a goof.
Maybe people would talk about it. At a red light. There's a long silence while they wait for the light, and then the passenger says to the driver: "What do you think that bumpersticker means? 'Resist the Impulse to Scream.'" The driver says, "Huh. No idea. Maybe it's like...a thing."
I wonder if there is a "resist the impulse to scream" t-shirt.
Maybe I should make one for myself.
But then someone would steal the idea!
(Still cutting the chicken.)
Eh, but it's a great idea, so I should just put it out there. It's not good to be selfish with ideas.
But what about that for a book title? Resist the Impulse to Scream: short essays.
That sounds like all the essays will be desperate, shrill, dark. Or like a manifesto of some kind, where the author knows names and controversies and can sound culturally literate and informed. I can't muster a whole book of that.
What does Google say? "Resist the impulse to scream." Put it in quotes. Oh, that's interesting. You get lots and lots of these.
I wonder if i should TradeMark it. "Resist the Impulse to Scream"™.
Maybe I should save the domain name. Is it available?
ResistTheImpulseToScream.com Yes! Available. Only $12.99 a year.
Oh, that's funny. ResisttheImpulse2Scream.com is available, too.
Snort. Who would use that?
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I'm thinkin' we don't have to worry about your having no one to talk to when Laura's at the New York apartment :-). And as far as imagination goes.......no shortage there either! Makin' me laugh, p. Can never have too much of that.
ReplyDeleteI don't get it. I don't have a voice that tells me to resist the impulse. Why not eat the chicken? Why not just scream?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Ellen on this, Paula. Life is too short. Too many impulses resisted already.
ReplyDeleteLaura's lucky to have such a good wife who makes her such a yummy lunch. Your description made me salivate.
and for me: 'resist the impulse to scream' sounds a little scary. as if there was something that would make them scream, but they're not allowed to AND: it really makes you WANT to scream. just to show, I decide for myself.... more positive to use on a bumper sticker or as print on a tshirt is: 'resist the impulse to smile'. :-) like, when you tell a kid, not to laugh, when you try to take a good picture.... :-)
ReplyDeleteTry " Resist the impulse NOT to scream!" :)
ReplyDeleteI think we are all agreed, my dearest one, that you need to scream, and we are all, I dare say, behind you one hundred percent.
ReplyDelete