Wednesday 5 May 2010

I just don't have the time

I've made it to Cafe Nero for my morning coffee without enduring agony, despite the usual sardine situation on the train which was further compounded by cancellations and emergency engineering works. I was wearing a pair of Crocs this morning hoping they would prove more comfortable than the black flat lace-up 6x wide comfy shoes I wear in the office. They have proven themselves and will now form part of my usual commuting attire. The burgundy Crocs make quite a sartorial statement, contrasting as they do with my otherwise formal attire.

The subject of personality tests came up at work yesterday, and I got to see the Barnum Effect in action as Adam put our characters in the spotlight with a test based on our artistic representations of a scene containing all the following elements: house; road; tree; snake; lake; sun; snake. From this rather hilarious conclusions emerged as to our ego, relationship with each parent, friends, and sex drive. Tish had us deciding which animal best represented each person. The animal analogy was supposed to help us understand how we perceived the person, and facilitate feedback. For instance a colleague who is steady, methodical, uncomplaining, takes on a ton of work and steadily gets it done - a shire horse.

The latter technique reminded me of a track from the Bestiary by Flanders & Swann, and in particular the song about the Bradypus. This has been my personal anthem for a while:

♪♫♪ "A Bradypus or sloth am I.
I live a life of ease.
Contented not to do or die,
But idle, as I please.
I have three toes on either foot,
Or half a doz' on both.
With leaves and fruit and shoots to eat,
How sweet to be a sloth!

The world is such a cheerful place
When viewed from upside down,
It makes a rise of every fall,
A smile of every frown.
I watch the fleeting flutter by
Of butterfly or moth,
And think of all the things I’d try
If I were not a sloth.

I could climb the very highest Himalayas,
Be among the greatest ever tennis players,
Win at chess, or marry a princess, or
Study hard and be an eminent professor.
I could be a millionaire,
Play the clarinet, travel everywhere,
Learn to cook, catch a crook
Win a war then write a book about it;
I could paint a Mona Lisa.
I could be another Caesar,
Compose an oratorio that was sublime.
The door's not shut on my genius,
But I just don't have the time.

For days and days among the trees,
I sleep and dream and doze,
Just gently swaying in the breeze,
Suspended by my toes.
While eager beavers overhead
Rush through the undergrowth,
I watch the clouds beneath my feet.
How sweet to be a sloth!"
♪♫♪

No comments:

Post a Comment